A footage is going viral on social media platforms showing the air traffic control room screen, which appears to show the radar view of an American Airlines plane colliding with a US military helicopter on Wednesday.

The 49-second clip shows how the Army Black Hawk helicopter with three people on board – call sign PAT25 – crashed into the American Eagle Flight 5342, a small plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members.

#BREAKING: Shared to me anonymously shows the Playback from official Air Traffic Control radar

#Washington | #DC

Watch as exclusive playback, sent anonymously by @avgeekjake to Rawsalerst, reveals official Air Traffic Control radar footage displaying the Collision Alert. pic.twitter.com/JuFNYDkc3v

— Flight 5342 (@flight5342) January 30, 2025

They collided over Washington before crashing into the Potomac River. 

Authorities say they do not expect any survivors from the crash, which was caught on multiple cameras. Multi-agency operation is underway to recover 67 bodies from the river.

Webcam at the Kennedy Center caught an explosion mid-air across the Potomac. https://t.co/v75sxitpH6 pic.twitter.com/HInYdhBYs5

— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) January 30, 2025

The American Airlines plane, which was flying to the US capital from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying athletes and coaches from the elite figure skating world, including former Russian world pairs champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

The incident occurred at approximately 9:00 pm (ET) (0200 GMT) on Wednesday as the aircraft was making its final approach to Washington’s Reagan National Airport.

According to reports, the plane pilot has been identified as Sam Lilley, a 28-year-old with six years experience at American Airlines, and who was engaged to be married.

Air Traffic Controller Audio Captures Moments Before Washington Plane Crash

An Air traffic control audio also recorded the moments before and after the passenger jet crashed with the US Army helicopter.

Audio from LiveATC.net, a respected source for in-flight recording, captured the final communications between the three crew members of the chopper before it collided with the CRJ700 Bombardier jet.

“PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ,” an air traffic controller said at 8:47 pm (ET) on Wednesday.

Seconds later, another aircraft called in to air traffic control, saying, “Tower, did you see that?” – apparently referring to the crash. 

An air traffic controller then redirected planes heading to runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport to go around.

“Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three,” one of the air traffic controllers can be heard saying in the audio from around the time of the crash.

Air Traffic Control gave the Army helo permission to pass *behind* the jet coming into DCA. It’s in the ATC recording here at 17:30 from @Aristos_Revengehttps://t.co/gIMRoz1nEt…

ATC (likely DCA tower) asks the Army helo if it “has CRJ in sight?” “Pass behind the CRJ” https://t.co/AMJMqv6Ser pic.twitter.com/n7g7UgqFoh

— NOVA Campaigns (@NoVA_Campaigns) January 30, 2025

“I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach into 33. We’re going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future,” another controller said.

“Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river,” a third air traffic controller can be heard saying.

“It was probably out in the middle of the river,” the controller said. 

“I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit,” the controller added.

(With agency inputs)

File picture of Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov performing their short programme during the World Figure Skating Championships in 1996
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A former world champion Russian figure skating pair and a team of American skaters, with their families, were reportedly aboard the American Airlines regional passenger plane that crashed near Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, U.S., on Wednesday (January 29, 2025).

U.S. Figure Skating, the governing body for figure skating in the United States, said on Thursday (January 30, 2025) that athletes, coaches and family members were returning from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.

FOLLOW | Washington plane crash LIVE updates

Russian state media meanwhile reported that ice skating coaches and former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among those on board the plane. Their son, Maxim, also a skater, may also have been on the plane, Russia’s TASS and RIA news agencies reported.

The plane, with 64 passengers and crew, was en route to Washington, D.C., from Witchita, Kansas, when it was involved in a mid-air collision with a U.S. Army helicopter.

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.

A source told Reuters that as many as 15 people on the flight may have been involved in figure skating.

Officials have not said how many people died in the accident but have suggested that there may be no survivors.

Inna Volyanskaya, a former skater who competed for the Soviet Union, was also reported to have been on board, TASS said. She was a coach at the Washington figure skating club, according to its website.

Rescue boats search Potomac River after a plane on approach to Reagan National Airport crashed into it.