Authorities have recovered and identified 55 of the 67 victims killed in a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport.
Families of victims of the deadliest U.S. air disaster since 2001 visited the crash site on Sunday and divers scoured the submerged wreckage for more remains after authorities said they've recovered and identified 55 of the 67 people killed. Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said officials are confident all will be found.
Divers are working diligently to locate remains as crews prepare to lift wreckage from the chilly Potomac River as early as Monday morning, Donnelly said at a news conference. Col. Francis B. Pera of the Army Corps of Engineers said divers and salvage workers are adhering to strict protocols and will stop moving debris if a body is found. The “dignified recovery” of remains takes precedence over all else, he said. “Reuniting those lost in this tragic incident is really what keeps us all going,” Pera said. “We’ve got teams that have been working this effort since the beginning, and we’re committed to making this happen.” Divers have high-definition cameras with feeds monitored on support boats, Pera said, putting “four or five sets of eyes” inside of the wreckage. Owing to the frigid conditions, one diver was treated at a hospital for hypothermia, Donnelly said. Portions of the two aircraft that collided over the river Wednesday night near Reagan Washington National Airport — an American Airlines jet with 64 people aboard and an Army Black Hawk helicopter with 3 aboard — will be loaded onto flatbed trucks and taken to a hangar for investigation. Family members were taken in buses with a police escort to the Potomac River bank near where the two aircraft came to rest after colliding. The jet, en route from Wichita, Kansas, was about to land. The Black Hawk was on a training mission. There were no survivors. Federal investigators were working to piece together the events that led to the collision. The National Transportation Safety Board didn't hold a press briefing on Sunday, but did release a photograph showing investigators on a small boat looking at wreckage and another of them examining a flight data recorder. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he wanted to give investigators space to conduct their inquiry. But he posed a range of questions on Sunday morning TV news programs. “What was happening inside the towers? Were they understaffed? … The position of the Black Hawk, the elevation of the Black Hawk, were the pilots of the Black Hawk wearing night vision goggles?” Duffy asked on CNN. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland; and Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina, were in the helicopter. The plane’s passengers included figure skaters returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita and a group of hunters returning from a guided trip. The NTSB said Saturday that preliminary data showed conflicting readings about the altitudes of the airliner and the helicopter. Investigators also said that about a second before impact, the jet’s flight recorder showed a change in its pitch. But they did not say whether that change in angle meant that pilots were trying to perform an evasive maneuver to avoid the crash. Data from the jet’s flight recorder showed its altitude as 325 feet (99 meters), plus or minus 25 feet (7.6 meters), when the crash happened, NTSB officials told reporters. Data in the control tower, though, showed the Black Hawk at 200 feet (61 meters), the maximum allowed altitude for helicopters in the area. The discrepancy has yet to be explained. Investigators said they hoped to reconcile the difference with data from the helicopter’s black box and planned to refine the tower data, which can be less reliable. “This is a complex investigation,” investigator in charge Brice Banning said. “There are a lot of pieces here.' Banning said the jet’s cockpit voice recorder captured sound moments before the crash. “The crew had a verbal reaction,” Banning said, and the flight data recorder showed “the airplane beginning to increase its pitch. Sounds of impact were audible about one second later, followed by the end of the recording.” Full investigations typically take a year or more. Investigators hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days. NTSB member Todd Inman said he has spent hours meeting with victims’ families. “Some wanted to give us hugs. Some are just mad and angry,” Inman said. “They are just all hurt. And they still want answers, and we want to give them answers.” More than 300 responders were taking part in the recovery effort at a given time, officials said. Two Navy barges were also deployed to lift heavy wreckage. On Fox News Sunday, Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration was looking into staffing in the Reagan Airport control towe
AIR DISASTER INVESTIGATION REMAINS RECOVERY COLLISION NTSB FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON D.C.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Potomac River Recovery Underway After Fatal Plane, Helicopter CollisionRecovery crews continue to search the Potomac River for remains and wreckage following a deadly collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter. The crash, which occurred on Wednesday night, killed all 67 people on board both aircraft. Investigators are examining various factors, including the helicopter's altitude and air traffic control procedures, as they work to determine the cause of the accident.
Read more »
More Than 40 Bodies Recovered In Potomac River After Midair Plane CrashInvestigators have already recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of the American Airlines plane that collided with an Army helicopter.
Read more »
Devastating Mid-Air Collision in Potomac River Claims Dozens of LivesA passenger plane and a US Army helicopter collided over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., prompting a large-scale rescue operation. Multiple deaths are reported.
Read more »
Figure Skaters Among Victims of US Plane Crash in Potomac RiverA tragic plane crash involving an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter in the Potomac River claimed the lives of 64 passengers and crew. Among the victims were figure skaters returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and two of their Russian coaches, including pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. The disaster marks the second air tragedy to deeply affect the U.S. figure skating community.
Read more »
Figure Skating Coaches Among Victims in Potomac River Plane CrashTwo highly-regarded Russian figure skating coaches and several skaters, coaches, and family members were feared dead after an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River Wednesday night.
Read more »
American Airlines Jet Collides With Helicopter Over Potomac River, Killing DozensA tragic accident occurred over the Potomac River on Wednesday night as an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter. The crash, feared to be the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in almost a quarter century, resulted in numerous fatalities with at least 28 bodies recovered. The investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing.
Read more »