A heart-wrenching simulation put viewers in the pilots’ seats during the horrifying moments an American Airlines passenger plane and an Army Blackhawk helicopter collided over Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last year. While the aircraft draw terrifyingly closer to one another, Reagan National’s air traffic controller is heard in radio communications requesting a “visual separation” between the two, according to the footage. In both videos, the air traffic controller fails to tell the pilots they are heading right toward one another. NTSB3 In both videos, the air traffic controller fails to tell the pilots they are heading right toward one another. NTSBThe plane, carrying 64 people, and helicopter, with three crew members on board, plummeted into the icy Potomac River below.