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Soon NTSB to release Black Box Data From Helicopter In Midair Crash; NTSB Looking At Discrepancy Between Plane, Helicopter Altitudes; Trump Reiterates Threat To Retake Panama Canal; Rubio Raises Concerns Over China's "Control" Of Panama Canal; TSB: Black Box Recovered After Medevac Jet Crash In Philadelphia. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired February 03, 2025 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[14:32:43]
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: In just a few hours, we could get some major clues as to why an Army helicopter collided with a passenger jet over Washington, D.C. last week killing 67 people.
The NTSB is expected to release the data from the helicopter's black box, found over the weekend, one of three flight recorders recovered from the two aircraft.
Today, the operation is set to enter a new phase as crews begin removing large sections of wreckage from the American Airlines plane. The D.C. fire chief says that, so far, 55 victims have been identified and that crews will pause salvage efforts if more remains are discovered.
CNN's Gabe Cohen is at Reagan National for us.
Gabe, what more should we expect from this NTSB briefing.
GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, if they do have flight data and voice recordings from the helicopter, it's going to paint, hopefully, a much clearer picture of what was going on, on that Blackhawk, just before this collision. And hopefully, it can answer some of these outstanding questions that we still have.
Remember, some of the early data from the black boxes on the jet indicate that at the time of the collision, the plane was flying at an altitude of about 325 feet. That is well above the 200-foot limit for helicopters along that route on the Potomac.
They are still gathering radar data, trying to shore up that discrepancy. But if in fact, the data from the black box on the helicopter lines up with that, they're going to want to know why it was flying upwards of 300 feet. And perhaps voice recordings from on board will answer some of those questions.
We also know that on air -- air traffic audio from the night of the collision, controllers asked the pilots on that Blackhawk if they could see the American Airlines flight because they had to pass behind it. And you can hear on that audio, the personnel that was on the helicopter give a verbal confirmation.
The question is, were they looking at lights from a different aircraft? What exactly was the point of confusion there? Hopefully, again, those voice recordings can answer some of those questions as to what exactly was going on.
[14:35:54]
As for the salvage operation that is happening today, Boris, you can see there is a massive crane in the Potomac. They are currently pulling out the wreckage, big pieces of the plane, because they are still searching for 12 of those 67 victims who died in the crash, who have not yet been recovered and identified.
Twenty-eight of those 67 were members of the U.S. figure skating community. Some of them were children. We're learning more about their stories, learning about 11-year-old Angela Yang and 11-year-old Sean Kay. They were an up-and-coming ice dance team, incredibly talented at their craft at such a young age.
We've learned about Brielle Beyer. She was 12-years-old, described by the figure skating community as spunky and polite and talented. And also about Cory Haynos. She was 15 -years-old. He landed a triple axle in front of his coaches in Wichita just hours before the crash.
These are just some of the stories. Boris, some of those 67 stories, all cut far too short by this tragedy.
SANCHEZ: Gabe Cohen, thank you so much for the update. Our thoughts obviously are with their families. Thanks.
Brianna?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And let's talk now with Billy Nolen, former acting FAA administrator. He's currently the chief regulatory affairs officer for Archer Aviation, Incorporated. He also flew Army helicopters and was a pilot for American Airlines.
Billy, thanks for being with us.
And maybe you can give us a sense of what we should be expecting here, because the NTSB will be holding a news conference here in the next few hours. They have this data recovered from the Blackhawk helicopter they will be releasing. What information might we learn? What might we not learn?
BILLY NOLEN, CHIEF REGULATORY AFFAIRS OFFICER, ARCH AVIATION, INC. & FORMER ACTING FAA ADMINISTRATOR: Yes, well, thank you, Brianna, for having me on today.
I don't think we will learn today at this briefing that you will have a definitive answer. You know, once -- once they've got the data off of the -- the black box for the -- the Blackhawk, it will take them time to look at that, to transcribe that, to make sure that they've got that exactly right. And this is just a part of what's a very methodical process. And I
know there's this really, really need and want for desire for answers. But it is critically important.
And we're on day five, you know, post this horrific accident. So, but I can -- I can assure you that, in the audience, that the NTSB will move in the most, you know, expeditious manner all, you know, in line with their protocol to make sure they get it right.
You know, having voice data and the data from, you know, from the systems on board the helicopter, that will be -- you know, what we will learn is just what the report has said, right?
Eventually, what we hope to learn is, did they, indeed, have the correct airplane in sight? If not, maybe they were looking at something else. So we should get more answers once that's available to the NTSB.
KEILAR: There's also a discrepancy that has come out, and I just wonder what you make of it, because flight tracker data is showing that the helicopter was flying higher than it should have.
It was reported that it was flying above its approved altitude of 200 feet, which is what these all these helicopters that fly through this route are supposed to be at.
Preliminary data from NTSB shows the plane was flying at around 325 feet, plus or minus 25 feet. So then it would have been between 300 and 350 feet. But then the data available to air traffic control showed the helicopter was at 200 feet near the time of the accident. How do you break that down?
NOLEN: Yes. So, you know, both of these -- both of these aircraft -- both, you know, the -- the American Eagle CRJ7 this-- this 700 aircraft, the military helicopter, they've got, you know, systems on board that -- that report out their altitude and their position, et cetera.
So part of this discrepancy -- of course, we've got the data from the airplane that shows it at approximately 325 feet AGL above -- above ground level. And its, you know, 30, 35, 40 seconds away from landing.
And then what we don't know yet is what needs to be confirmed is exactly the altitude of the helicopter. And -- and that data should be contained within the flight data recorder for the -- for the helicopter itself.
So I -- I expect that once the -- the NTSB feels comfortable that that that the data on board the helicopter is correct, they'll be able to report or give some sort of preliminary indication as to what that will be like.
So, you know, that's what the investigation is designed to do, Brianna, is to cut through all the things that we don't know and get to some really concrete answers here.
KEILAR: Yes, hopefully, we'll learn about that discrepancy. I know a lot of folks have focused in on that.
Billy, great to have you. Thank you so much.
[13:40:03]
NOLEN: Thank you much.
Coming up, President Trump issuing an ominous threat. What he's saying about the Panama Canal.
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SANCHEZ: In his first overseas trip to Panama as the nation's top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is backing Donald Trump's threat to take back the Panama Canal over concerns of China's influence around the waterway.
Rubio met with Panama's president, Jose Raul Mulino, following Trump's warning of powerful U.S. action in this escalating diplomatic dispute.
The president is accusing Panama of violating the 1977 treaty that returned the canal to the Central American nation.
Listen.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: China will be dealt with. And we didn't give that to China. We gave it to Panama. We shouldn't have given it to Panama. But Panama, as you know, has violated the agreement, totally violated the agreement. So that's in the process right now.
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SANCHEZ: CNN's State Department producer, Jennifer Hansler is here.
Jennifer, what else are you hearing about Secretary Rubio's meeting with Panamanian officials?
JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, Boris, Rubio said today that his conversation with the Panamanian president was frank, but it was also respectful. And he pushed this issue yet again, what has become a priority for the Trump administration.
[14:45:09]
He said, "It is clear to the administration that they need to do something in Panama to deter this Chinese influence that they accuse of being over the Panama Canal." They say it is an issue of national security.
And I want you to just take a listen to what Rubio said today about his conversation yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: As president has articulated, when we turned over the canal, we turned it over to Panama. We didn't turn it over to China. So you get there and the Chinese control both entries to the port, both entries to the port.
We have a treaty obligation to protect the canal if it comes under attack. But our Navy is paying fees to go through there. So I express frustration about those things.
It's a delicate issue in Panama. We don't want to have a hostile and negative relationship with Panama. I don't believe we do.
And, but we had a frank and respectful conversation, and I hope it will yield fruits and results in the days to come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANSLER: So Rubio did acknowledge that this is a sensitive issue on the ground in Panama. Of course, the Panamanian president, Mulino, said there is no question over whose sovereignty is over the canal, and it is that of Panama.
Of course, Rubio taking a much more diplomatic tone on this issue than we heard from President Trump, who is vowing some sort of consequences if the U.S. does not retake control.
We're not really sure what those consequences could be, if it could be a military sort of maneuver there. But there is concern within the administration about the Chinese influence.
I do want to note that Mulino, after the Rubio meeting, said that Panama was going to back away from China's Belt and Road Initiative. This is something Rubio praised them for doing, and he said it's a good step, that they're the first country in Central America to take this kind of move.
So the question remains whether they can do this diplomatically or if we're going to hear Trump's bellicose rhetoric sort of taking charge here -- Boris?
SANCHEZ: We'll see what happens next.
HANSLER: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Jennifer Hansler, thank you so much.
Brianna?
KEILAR: Well, the Super Bowl is just six days away. And here's the good news for anyone looking for a ticket. They aren't cheap, but they are cheaper than last year.
The least-expensive ticket has fallen below $4,000 on the secondary market. That's actually a 30 percent decline over the past week. And that means that tickets are less than half what they cost for last year's record-breaking Super Bowl. Brokers say the reason may be that New Orleans doesn't have the same
appeal as Las Vegas, which is where last year's game was.
They also say fans may be experiencing some fatigue with the Kansas City Chiefs in the third-straight Super Bowl. I mean, is that even possible? I don't know.
We'll be right back.
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[14:52:20]
SANCHEZ: We're learning more today about the deadly medevac flight that crashed in Philadelphia. Seven people we're killed, including everyone on board and one person in a car on the ground. The NTSB has since recovered the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder.
CNN's Danny Freeman is live for us in Philadelphia.
And, Danny, officials just wrapped up a press conference. What's the latest you've learned?
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris, the main headline from that press conference that ended not too long ago is that while the number of people injured in this crash has gone up slightly, thankfully, the number of people who died in this crash has stayed at seven. I'll get to more of that in a bit.
But I just want to tell you a little bit about what we actually saw today, because it's been a pretty active scene back here.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy visited the crash site today. He was joined with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker.
And Duffy said he was struck by just how expansive and deep the crater was that was left by that plane when it hit the ground here on Cottman Avenue.
And he emphasized what we learned last night, what you just mentioned, Boris, that the NTSB has, indeed, recovered that cockpit voice recorder from the medevac jet crash site. But it was eight feet underground in that crater. Again, just another element of just how destructive this crash was.
They were also able to recover an enhanced ground proximity warning system, which the NTSB believes they'll be able to gather even more data from.
And I want you to take a listen to how Duffy characterized what they're going to be looking for now that these devices are in the lab.
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SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: They're going to look at weather, was there medical concerns, was there technical or mechanical issues on the airplane? All factors that, even though this crash was so devastating, there are remains, whether it's the engines, the wings, that they can look at and get answers to what took place here.
We hope to get their preliminary report within 30 days.
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FREEMAN: All right. Now back to those who were impacted in this horrific crash. Twenty-four people ultimately were injured. That's according to city officials. That's up from 22, the number we were given yesterday.
But importantly, only four people are now in the hospital. Only two in critical condition at this time. Seven people were killed in the crash, including six on board and that one person on the street.
But, Boris, I'll note that today it was really stunning. City and state officials actually acknowledged some of the hard conversations that folks have been having out here, that really, this could have been much worse.
Mayor Cherelle Parker getting emotional when, thinking out loud, this plane could have hit a gas line. And you see so many buildings, businesses, homes around here, it's remarkable this plane landed on the sidewalk.
Still no less of a tragedy here. But there's still more investigating that has to be done in order to figure out just what went so wrong -- Boris?
[14:55:06]
SANCHEZ: Danny Freeman live for us in Philadelphia. Danny, thank you so much for that update.
Meantime, what happens over the phone in the next few minutes could be the difference in whether the U.S. enters into a trade war. President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau scheduled to speak at any minute. When we come back, we'll discuss the implications.
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KEILAR: A critical call --