The NTSB has also recovered the so-called “black box” from the black hawk helicopter, Inman told reporters.

Both boxes from the American Airlines passenger plane were previously recovered.

“[The device] will begin an evaluation, just as the other two recorders did last night, to determine when and how to take action,” Inman said on Friday.

“I can tell you from a visual inspection, we saw no exterior damage that would indicate that it was compromised at this time. So we have a high level of confidence that we will be able to have a full extraction from that as well.”

Inman added that the NTSB had a “high level of confidence” that information would be extracted from the jet’s black boxes also.

NTSB spokesperson Todd Inman told reporters on Friday that interviews with witnesses from air traffic control were underway and that the agency was receiving “full cooperation.”

“The ATC group has been conducting interviews today,” he said.

“They’re ongoing tonight, they’ll be ongoing for probably the next few days. We’ve had full cooperation in getting the witnesses that we need to to gain those interviews.

“We will then take that information and match it with other data that we’re seeking, and if necessary, conduct following the interviews at a later time.”

An evening press conference hosted by the National Transport Safety Board is about to begin.

Follow updates from The Independent here.

A supervisor allowed an air traffic controller at Ronald Reagan National Airport to leave early, hours before the passenger plane collided with an Army helicopter in midair, according to reports.

Both aircraft plunged into the icy Potomac River shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday and all 64 passengers on the American Airlines regional jet, along with three soldiers on the Black Hawk helicopter, are presumed dead.

A single controller was left to handle the air traffic of planes and helicopters flying over the airspace when two people would typically be monitoring both flight paths, sources told NBC.

The Federal Aviation Authority reportedly confirmed in a preliminary safety report of the crash that one controller was doing the job of two, according to the New York Times. Airplane and helicopter traffic is normally handled by two separate controllers until 9:30 p.m., but a supervisor allegedly merged the two jobs before the allotted changeover time, a source told the newspaper.

Rhian Lubin has the story.

Two of the three soldiers on the ill-fated military helicopter have been identified.

Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, were identified by the Army Friday.

The name of the third soldier — a female pilot, according to the New York Times — has yet to be revealed.

“At the request of the family, the name of the third Soldier will not be released at this time,” the Army said in a statement.

“Our deepest condolences go out to all the families and friends impacted during this tragedy, and we will support them through this difficult time. Our top priority is to assist in the recovery efforts, while fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other investigative agencies to determine the cause of this tragic incident,” said Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp, commander Joint Task Force – National Capital Region/ U.S. Army Military District of Washington.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s briefing about its investigation into the mid-air collision will now be held at 5.30 p.m.