Data records show that Captain Jonathan Campos and First Officer Samuel Lilley raced at 140 mph towards the military helicopter in a desperate attempt to save every person on board.
On Wednesday, January 29, at 8:47 p.m. ET, a Black Hawk helicopter carrying three US soldiers on a training excursion was struck by a PSA Airlines aircraft, which is owned by American Airlines.
When the mid-air collision occurred, Flight 5342 was on its way to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, transporting 60 passengers and four crew members from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, DC.
The debris of both the plane and the helicopter fell in the Potomac River, making it the deadliest plane accident in the United States since 2001 and the country’s first significant aviation event in the past 16 years. Despite the efforts of 300 first responders to render aid, no survivors were found.
