Pilots of a PSA Airlines MHIRJ CRJ700 involved in the mid-air collision while inbound to Washington National airport had accepted a routine sequencing offer for an alternative runway which had been rejected by the crew of the preceding flight.
Runway 1, the longest of National’s three runways, was being used for both arrivals and departures, and a few aircraft in the runway 1 approach sequence – heading north along the Potomac river – were offered runway 33 as an option to land.
After a JetBlue Airways Embraer 190 had been cleared to runway 1, the crew another PSA CRJ700 arriving from Montgomery as flight 5307 was asked if they could take runway 33.
“Unable,” the crew responded, according to air-ground communications archived by LiveATC.
This crew was subsequently cleared to land on runway 1 at around 20:42.
Some 30s later the pilots of the ill-fated flight 5342, arriving from Wichita and immediately trailing 5307, informed the tower that they were visual with runway 1.
“Can you take runway 33?” the tower controller responded. After about 20s the crew replied: “Yeah, we can do 33.”
In order to line up with runway 33 the CRJ700 deviated to the right just before reaching the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge which carries the Interstate 495 beltway over the Potomac.
The aircraft behind the CRJ, an American Airlines Airbus A319, was cleared to land on runway 1, while the CRJ’s deviation enabled another American aircraft, a Boeing 737, to use runway 1 for departure – the controller emphasising an “immediate take-off” and “no delay” to the crew.
Just as the 737 lifted off, the CRJ turned left to cross the Potomac and line up with runway 33, colliding with a Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter at about 20:48.
“Tower, did you see that?” a transmission from an unknown aircraft remarked a few seconds later.
Meteorological data from National at the time indicate good visibility and clear conditions. Subsequent communications show the A319 and other aircraft were ordered to conduct missed approaches.