U.S. Army Black Hawk UH-60, call sign PAT 25 crashed into American Airlines flight 5342

Flight tracking data from the moments before the fatal midair collision on Wednesday night appears to show the Black Hawk helicopter was flying 100 feet above the maximum allowed altitude and was veering off the prescribed route along the east side of the Potomac River.

Just two minutes before the midair collision, flight tracking data shows the military helicopter at 200 feet as it crossed over East Potomac Park, which is the maximum allowed altitude along the helicopter route known as Route 1.

As the Black Hawk flew over the Potomac River, flight tracking data indicates it climbed from 200 feet to 300 feet, placing it closer to the airport and higher than it should have been. The helicopter remained at that altitude until seconds before the crash, when flight tracking data shows a rapid descent back down to 200 feet.

At the same time, the Black Hawk also appears to turn toward the center of the river, according to flight tracking data, which would have been a deviation from the standard route hugging the east bank of the Potomac River.

The helicopter’s turns would have put the military helicopter closer to Washington’s Reagan National Airport than the standard route as the American Airlines regional jet was nearing the airport.