Authorities said all aboard the flight died after the fiery collision with the helicopter broke the aircraft apart and sent it plunging in three sections into the icy Potomac River below. Three U.S. Army service members aboard the helicopter also died,

A pair of black boxes has been recovered from the American Airlines jet involved in a mid-air collision with a military helicopter, which left no survivors.

A gasp can be heard on air traffic control audio as an American Airlines plane and a US Army helicopter collided in Washington DC on Wednesday, 29 January. American Eagle flight 5342 – carrying 64 people – and the military Black Hawk helicopter – carrying three people – crashed at approximately 8:53 p.