The pilot of the Black Hawk helicopter, which collided with an American Airlines passenger airplane in Washington DC, did not comply with directions to change course seconds before the crash. The helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger plane in a fatal incident. Army Black Hawk pilot Captain Rebecca Lobach was conducting an annual flight evaluation with her co-pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, who was serving as her flight instructor.

The incident occurred on January 29, but the New York Times has now published new details. Lobach was flying the helicopter too high, and in the final moments before the crash, she failed to take advice from her co-pilot to switch course.

Her skills were being tested on the flight. Fifteen seconds before colliding with the commercial plane, air traffic control told her to turn left, but she did not do this.

Her co-pilot warned her to turn left again just seconds before the impact, but she did not. Both pilots had spotted the plane but had requested to fly by "visual separation”.

This is when aircraft avoid collisions based on their own observations. The report stated: “The Black Hawk was 15 seconds away from crossing paths with the jet.

“Warrant Officer Eaves then turned his attention to Captain Lobach. He told her he believed that air traffic control wanted them to turn left, toward the east river bank.”

A total of 67 people, including everyone on the plane and in the helicopter, died as a result of the crash.

Lobach was an aviation officer in the Army and had 500 hours of flying time prior to the crash.

It is unknown why Lobach did not follow orders prior to the crash.

In February it was revealed that the helicopter crew may have had inaccurate altitude readings in the moments before the crash, investigators said.

It was revealed that vital tracking technology inside the helicopter was turned off for “no compelling reason” when it collided.