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New Video Show Moment Plane & Army Helicopter Collided; Multiple Investigations Into What Caused Collision That Killed 67; Figure Skating Community Mourns Victims Killed in D.C. Tragedy; FireAid Concerts Raise Millions For Fire Victims. Aired 9:30-10 am ET
Aired January 31, 2025 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: -- investigation into the Biden administration, what the White House referred to as the damage done to aviation safety under the Biden administration and specifically looking at DEI practices.
[09:30:10]
Now, one other thing I just want to quickly point out is it is unclear right now whether or not Donald Trump has spoken with the families of some of these victims. We heard him yesterday say that he plans to meet with them. I've asked the White House whether or not that would include some sort of visit to Wichita. Of course, the community that has been devastated by this. It was the -- where the flight had taken off from. Still waiting to hear more on that, Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Alayna Treene at the White House for us. Thank you, Alayna.
Sara?
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Before Donald Trump made his statements, aviation experts were raising new concerns about the Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the passenger jet, killing all 67 people between the two. Experts say the helicopter pilot may have misjudged the position of the American Airlines flight, mistaking a brighter moving light in the sky as the aircraft of the pilot had been instructed to track instead of the landing American Airlines flight.
New video now into CNN. It is a disturbing view. It shows the helicopter was approaching the passenger flight on a steady flight track before the collision. Doesn't seem to veer off. And then you see the collision not appearing to take any evasive maneuvers beforehand.
Joining me now is former Black Hawk Pilot Brad Bowman. Thank you for getting up early. I know you've been up late talking about this, but making some really interesting points. I first want to get to this. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a, quote, "mistake was made during the Black Hawk's routine training." He said there was, quote, "an elevation issue."
So he, too, leaning into this idea that the elevation was off, that the Black Hawk was flying far higher than it was supposed to be. How would something like this happen? I mean, aren't there instruments, a line of sight that would warn the pilot about where they are?
BRAD BOWMAN, FORMER BLACK HAWK PILOT: Thank you, Sara. You know, I served in that unit as an active-duty Army officer and pilot and pilot in command for about two years. I commanded Charlie Company there and flew that route more times than I can count.
And, you know, this is part of a low-level helicopter route throughout the Washington, D.C. Area above the freeways and over the Potomac. And in each place, you're supposed to be at a particular route and a particular altitude. And the lowest place on that entire system is right there at Reagan. So you can deconflict the helicopters from the aircraft landing and taking off at Reagan.
And you're supposed to, unless it's changed in recent years, you're supposed to be at 200 feet. And if I was flying with someone and they got 10, 20 feet higher than that, I would have said something. I'd say, get down to 200 feet.
So let's let the investigation run its course. Let's not speculate. But if they were 100 or even 150, 200 feet high, that could have been a decisive reason for this tragedy that we witnessed. So that's one of the key things I'm looking at.
I'm also examining the communication between the helicopter crew and the tower. And it's very possible that they were talking about two different commercial regional jets. And that might also be an explanation as well.
SIDNER: Yeah, I mean, you can see on -- on some of these videos that there are two jets where your eye goes to the one that's closer, that is brighter. And so there are questions about whether that happened.
I do want to ask you about a technological thing here. The soldiers in the Black Hawk helicopter were wearing night vision goggles, we understand, what -- what kind of limitations might that cause?
BOWMAN: Yeah, so you know, I've flown with NVGs, I've flown without in my years flying through those routes, we didn't use NVGs. And frankly, if I had them, I wouldn't have used them because they -- they reduce your field of view and your peripheral vision. And when you're in a city with lots of lights, I mean, at the time, they have better ones.
Now, the brightness can be a problem. So you don't need the NVGs there. They apparently had them on the aircraft, whether they were flipped down or in use at that moment remains to be seen.
But either way, NVGs or no, if they were at the proper route and the proper altitude, I think this is something that could probably have been avoided. I'm not suggesting they weren't, let's let the investigation run its course. But those are key things I'm looking at.
SIDNER: And you make the point, you know, not wanting to speculate looking at what are the possibilities and the NTSB doing just that and telling Kate Bolduan, one of the board members that there are a myriad of things that generally happen that end up causing something like this. And so we will have to wait and see what they get, for example, from the black boxes. We understand both black boxes that were on the flight, the American Airlines flight have been recovered.
But we heard just a few moments ago from the Defense Secretary that the black box on the helicopter has not yet been recovered. So all of that will be really important for the NTSB to go through.
I do want to ask you about the fact that there have been at least three close calls involving passenger planes and helicopters near Reagan National Airport in the past three years.
In two of them, passenger planes have had to take evasive maneuvers to avoid colliding with the helicopter. So it begs the question, why are these training exercises being done in an area that every pilot that we have talked to says is extremely challenging to navigate?
[09:35:06]
BOWMAN: This is one of the busiest aviation locations in the country, and it's a small space and it requires everyone to follow instructions precisely. That is true. What's also true is that this low-level helicopter system has been in place for decades and has been safe and has facilitated deconfliction. It wasn't a few nights ago. We have to understand why. Why are they there? They're there because they're flying our nation's leadership around.
Basically, everyone below the president, members of Congress, Pentagon leaders, military officers, they have to get quickly from point A to point B to have meetings and briefings and secure our country. And so this is -- you can't have the first time you're carrying the army chief of staff when you're flying through those routes. So you have to go and practice it.
And as you say, you train like you're going to fight if you're overseas or you train like you're going to operate. So you have to operate in those spaces because that's going to be where you're going to be expected to perform your duty. And the Pentagon is just a short distance away. And that's where you're picking up a lot of these individuals. So they have to train there. But before you put them in that location, you also have to make sure the proficiency is there.
And they were doing a check ride. And that the purpose of a check ride is ensure proficiency. So there's a lot of variables here. We really got to be patient, as Sully said, and let the investigation run its course.
SIDNER: Yeah, all of those details very important to investigators as they look through a myriad of different things to try to figure out exactly how this happened and stop it from happening again.
Brad Bowman, really appreciate your expertise on this. Thank you so much.
John?
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, inside the tight knit figure skating community that just suffered so much loss.
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[09:41:17]
BERMAN: New details about a family of four from Virginia killed in the collision over the Potomac. 14-year-old Everly Livingston and her 11- year-old sister Alydia were promising young figure skaters. Their mother Donna was very active in the girls' lives, and the father Peter Livingston played hockey, and that's according to loved ones. Such a tight-knit community. So much loss there. All around the world of figure skating.
With us now, Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov. They lost several friends this week, including former Russian World Figure Skate Champions Genia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
Melissa and Denis, first of all, it's nice to see you again. I so wish it were not under these circumstances. Melissa, you first. Just tell us about your two friends here, your fellow coaches Genia and Vadim.
MELISSA GREGORY, FIGURE SKATER WHO LOST FRIENDS IN DEADLY COLLISION: They were just truly remarkable individuals is what I can say. They were wonderful people. They were beautiful skaters themselves, world champions, excellent coaches, great friends and amazing parents to their son Maxim.
We have known them for quite a few years now. We participated in many events, competitions, shows, spent holidays together. When we competed ourselves and then later after we retired and became coaches ourselves, we were living in -- when they were living in Connecticut, we shared the ice and they were part of our daily lives. And, you know, it's until they moved to Boston and it's just a huge loss for the entire figure skating community.
BERMAN: You know, Denis, coaches -- figure skating coaches especially, they give so much, not just to their own families, but to the entire community and everyone they coach. Talk to us about Vadim and Genia. What they did with the probably generations now of skaters that they work with?
DENIS PETUKHOV, FIGURE SKATER WHO LOST FRIENDS IN DEADLY COLLISION: Yes, we know almost all of their skaters that they taught. They taught many different levels of skaters. They were the kind of people that they would give their time to everyone, that would ask for help in skating, some techniques. And we know that they raised champions in the United States and other international skaters. They have been traveling to world championships and nationals for many, many years.
And recently, we saw them in Wichita just a few days ago. Again, back to normal conversations, very friendly. We gave them a hug and asked them how they're doing. And we're hoping that the competition goes well. Wish, best of luck to Maxim, their son. We know their son. We worked on the ice with their son and helped him grow over the years.
Just receiving this news in the morning was completely devastating to us. And as the time goes on, now it's -- it's not getting easier seeing pictures everywhere. It's just a constant reminder of the tragic event that took place yesterday.
BERMAN: It's got to be devastating. You were with them just days ago in Kansas. Melissa, and these aren't the only people. You have so many more friends in the community that were lost as well. Tell us about some of them.
GREGORY: Yeah, we had four people that we personally knew that were on the flight. In addition to Vadim and Genia, we also knew Sasha Kirsanov. We competed against him and with him for many years. And after both of us retired from competitive skating, we remained friends. And we always had -- we're happy to see each other at competitions and talk to each other.
[09:45:21]
And lastly, Inna Volyanskaya was a friend of Denis'. He knew her from Russia. But beyond the four that we knew, there was -- I want to say that there were 67 people that perished on that flight. All of them have friends and family members, and people that loved them. And our hearts go out to everyone. Because I think that these -- these lives are going to be deeply -- we're all going to be deeply saddened for a long time.
BERMAN: And Denis, I -- you know, I met you guys before the 2006 Olympics a long time ago. And one of the things that struck me was, what a tight-knit community it was and is. What's it going to be like for the both of you, you know, to get back on the ice?
PETUKHOV: I think it was difficult. But I think it's also one of the coping mechanisms that the skaters have. And through any difficulties over time, people do come out on the ice. And started building, getting -- just basically getting back up and building themselves back to their routines, to their lives. I think it's going to take us a long time to heal after this event. But I think the skating community is small and tight. And everyone will support each other through this. And we hope for better.
BERMAN: All right, Denis, Melissa, thank you both so much for being with us. We are so sorry for your loss. Wishing you the best going forward.
Kate?
BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, dozens of the biggest names in music coming together to raise money for the victims of the devastating Southern California wildfires. A show of love and a show of force just ahead of the music world's biggest night. An inside look at the Grammy plant.
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[09:51:48]
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SIDNER: Jelly Roll can make any of us cry. The stars shine on the Golden State, all gathering to help victims of the California wildfires that have devastated Altadena, Pacific Palisades, parts of Pasadena, and Malibu. Last night's fire aid concert in Inglewood raised millions of dollars.
We'll see many of those stars this Sunday at the Grammys. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister got an interview with the show's executive producer, and I will turn back here to the camera where she is, and the CEO of the Recording Academy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid a backdrop of tragedy, the nation's deadliest air disaster since 2001, and the most destructive wildfires in Southern California history.
HARVEY MASON JR., CEO, THE RECORDING ACADEMY: Grammys and this platform is cool, but it's not the most important thing in the world.
WAGMEISTER: Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Grammys Executive Producer Ben Winston are tasked with putting on a show that some thought should be called off.
(On camera): There have been some people who say award season should be canceled. This is not what we need right now.
BEN WINSTON, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, 2025 GRAMMY AWARDS: If you could actually take the Grammys, where we know we've got an audience who are going to watch it, we know we've got the biggest stars in the whole world that are sitting there, and we bring real awareness to what's happened. We do some really serious fundraising for the causes that need it so much right now. We pay tribute to our first responders. We showcase L.A. businesses. Surely that is worth doing rather than not doing.
WAGMEISTER: Winston and Mason Jr. sat down with CNN during a break in construction of the Grammys set. For them, this show feels personal.
MASON: I know one guy that lost his entire studio, burned all his collections, all his instruments, and this is how they make a living. So if we were to postpone the show, we wouldn't be able to raise the money that we need to support those people.
WINSTON: Before this happened, I probably knew the name of four of my neighbors. I reckon, I now know about 23 of them. Like there is a sense of community right now in Los Angeles that I personally haven't seen before, where people are helping each other, and I think we can reflect that on the show.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): They point out the majority of working musicians in L.A. aren't wealthy superstars. Plus, the Grammys telecast brings income to 6,500 workers who depend on award season paychecks.
WINSTON: The drivers, the florists, the builders, the PAs, people, some of whom have lost their homes. WAGMEISTER (voice-over): That said, the Grammys will still be the Grammys, with performances from pop stars like Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, and Sabrina Carpenter, country star Brad Paisley, and legends like Stevie Wonder.
MASON: There will be incredible performances, but there's also going to be a layer of emotion and heart and storytelling about the heroes.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): And if you're in it for, well, the awards, there's that, too. It's a Beyonce question. You brought up the race for best album.
MASON: Yeah.
WAGMEISTER: Is this the year for Beyonce?
MASON: I'm going to give you a hot take. I feel like she's got a one in eight chance of winning that thing. I'm serious.
[09:55:03]
WAGMEISTER: Statistically, that is absolutely accurate. It's actual. No fact-checking needed.
WINSTON: That's how you're going to get out of us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WAGMEISTER: So, you see there, we ended on a light note, because how could we not talk about Beyonce when we are talking about this year's Grammys?
Now, Beyonce has yet to win Album of the Year, and her fans have not been happy about that. But she comes in this year with the most nominations. She has 11. She's already the most nominated Grammy artist in Grammy history, so she's doing OK.
But also, just announced yesterday, Taylor Swift will be in the house. She is going to be presenting, and she is also among one of the most nominated artists this year.
SIDNER: We were just talking about all the things that have happened with some of these bans and raising money for people. Band-aid, live- aid, farm-aid. I know that the victims of these fires really do need help, so that is a really important point to be made.
Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much for your reporting. Appreciate you.
BOLDUAN: Thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you for joining us this week. This is CNN News Central. CNN Newsroom is up next.
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