WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ari Shulman said he often watches planes line up to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport during his drive home to Alexandria along the George Washington Parkway.
On Wednesday night, Shulman said he saw American Airlines Flight 5342 flying about 120 feet over the icy Potomac River, as it appeared to get ready to land.
“I looked back and [the jet] was banked all the way to the right … it was illuminated yellow underneath and there was a spray of sparks on the underside,” Shulman told ABC News about the midair collision.
A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided into the jet. Officials said 67 died: There were 60 passengers and four crew members in the jet and three in the helicopter.
“It was so brief what I saw that actually wondered for a moment if I had hallucinated in some way,” Shulman said.
On Thursday morning, Washington D.C. Fire Department Chief John Donnelly the jet was “inverted” and had broken into three pieces in the river.
Donnelly said first responders had found 27 bodies and divers were searching for the other 40 with the help of helicopters with searchlights.
“The water is dark, it is murky, and that is a very tough condition for them to dive in,” Donnelly said.