Crew may not have heard critical instructions before deadly DC crash

WASHINGTON — There’s no indication the U.S. Army Black Hawk crew could tell there was an impending collision before its devastating crash with an American Airlines plane in Washington, D.C., National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jennifer Homendy said Friday as the agency continues to investigate the cause of the accident.

But investigators are determined to find out as much as they can. And now they’ve released new details about the moments before the crash. And 0.8 seconds of black... crucial instructions apparently not heard by the helicopter’s pilots, 17 seconds before disaster. The helicopter crew may not have heard Air Traffic Control say, “Pass behind The.”

Both plunged into the Potomac River, killing all 67 people aboard, including the entire Charlotte-based flight crew, a Charlotte mother, and three U.S. soldiers and figure skaters.

ALSO READ: What we know about Charlotte-area victims who died in the DC mid-air collision

“The instructions from ATC were to pass behind the CRJ (aircraft). That transmission was interrupted. It was stepped on,” Homendy said.

NTSB crews are investigating whether the helicopter crew had accurate data. The pilots inside reported differing altitudes in the seconds leading up to the crash.

“We are looking at the possibility of there may be bad data,” Homendy said.

The crash claimed the lives of at least five people with ties to Charlotte. One of them is flight attendant Danasia Elder.

Saturday her family will lay her to rest.

“She’ll want y’all do the same thing she did,” said Brandon Payne, her brother-in-law. “Chase your dreams, no matter what. Don’t let nothing scare you, push you away. Just believe in yourself. Believe in God, and follow the path.”

Investigators say they believe the helicopter pilots were wearing night vision goggles and there is evidence the plane may have tried to tilt up at the last second to avoid contact.

The other flight attendant killed, Ian Epstein, was laid to rest at the Chabad of Charlotte earlier this month. Passengers who flew with him over the years described him as comforting and entertaining.

WATCH BELOW: Wendy Shaffer, a mother of two young children, was a passenger onboard the flight