Data from the jet's flight recorder showed its altitude as 325 feet, plus or minus 25 feet, when the crash happened on Wednesday night near Reagan National Airport in Washington, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials told reporters on Saturday.
Data in the control tower showed the Black Hawk helicopter at 200 feet at the time and the discrepancy has yet to be explained.
Data in the control tower showed the Black Hawk helicopter was at 200 feet at the time of the crash. (AP PHOTO)
Investigators hope to reconcile the altitude differences with data from the helicopter's black box, which is taking more time to retrieve because it was waterlogged.
They also said they plan to refine the tower data, which can be less reliable.
"That's what our job is, to figure that out," said NTSB member Todd Inman, who grew increasingly agitated with reporters' questions seeking more information and clarity about the readings during a Saturday evening news conference.
He acknowledged that there was dissension within the investigative team about whether to release the information or wait until they had more data.
There were no survivors from the collision, which occurred as an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 64 people was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, just across the Potomac River from the nation's capital, and hit an Army Black Hawk helicopter that apparently flew into the jet's path.
The helicopter had three soldiers on board.
The Army on Saturday released the name of the third soldier who died in the crash.
Rebecca Lobach's family says she was kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong. (AP PHOTO)
Captain Rebecca M Lobach had served as an Army aviation officer since July 2019. Her awards include an Army commendation medal and an achievement medal.
In a statement released by the Army, her family said she was a distinguished military graduate at the University of North Carolina, and was in the top 20 per cent of cadets nationwide.
They said she had more than 450 hours of flight time, and earned "certification as a pilot-in-command after extensive testing by the most senior and experienced pilots in her battalion".
"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. She was a bright star in all our lives.
"She was kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong.
"No one dreamed bigger or worked harder to achieve her goals," the statement said.
The remains of 42 people had been pulled from the river by Saturday afternoon, including 38 that had been positively identified, Washington emergency officials said.
They expect to recover all of the remains, although the wreckage of the plane's fuselage will probably have to be pulled from the water to retrieve all the bodies.
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