The tragic midair collision involving an American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members and an Army helicopter has resulted in the deaths of all those on board the plane and the helicopter, marking what could be the most devastating U.S. aviation disaster in nearly 25 years, authorities reported this morning.
The crash occurred on Wednesday night when the helicopter seemingly flew directly into the path of the jet, which was in the process of landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.
After the crash, at least 28 bodies were recovered from the freezing waters of the Potomac River. Rescue crews continued to search for any other victims but did not expect to find any survivors. Should that prove true, the incident would become the deadliest U.S. aviation accident since 2001.
“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” said John Donnelly, the fire chief for Washington, D.C. “We don’t believe there are any survivors.”
The wreckage of the plane was located upside down in the river, broken into three parts in waist-high water. The helicopter’s debris was also recovered. Donnelly mentioned that responders were scouring the area of the Potomac River, extending the search as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, which is about 3 miles from the airport.
“We have early indications of what happened here,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy remarked during a Thursday morning press briefing, expressing his continued belief in the safety of American airspace.
While the exact cause of the crash was not immediately known, officials noted that the weather was clear, and the jet, which had come from Wichita, Kansas, carrying U.S. and Russian figure skaters among others, was in the process of a regular landing when the military helicopter crossed into its flight path.
“On final approach into Reagan National it collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach,” said Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines. “At this time we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the … aircraft.”
The Army had confirmed that three soldiers were aboard the helicopter at the time of the crash, which was part of a routine training exercise.
Images from the scene revealed boats circling the partially submerged wing and twisted remains of the plane’s fuselage in the river. Investigators will now attempt to reconstruct the events leading up to the collision, including communications with air traffic control and a sharp loss in altitude by the passenger jet.
“I would just say that everyone who flies in American skies expects that we fly safely,” Duffy said. “That when you depart an airport, you get to your destination. That didn’t happen last night and I know that President Trump, his administration, the FAA, the DOT, we will not rest until we have answers for the families and for the flying public. You should be assured that when you fly, you’re safe.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that Reagan Airport would resume operations at 11 a.m. Thursday, despite previous statements indicating a closure until Friday morning.
In his response to whether he could reassure Americans about the safety of U.S. airspace, Duffy confidently stated, “Can I guarantee the American flying public that the United States has the most safe and secure airspace in the world? And the answer to that is, absolutely yes, we do.”
Duffy added that the flight conditions that night were typical, with both the plane and the helicopter operating within standard parameters and proper communication with air traffic controllers.
He also noted that the presence of military aircraft around the river was not unusual, and that while the plane was likely aware of the helicopter, it was the helicopter that should have been aware of the plane’s approach.
Responding to a tweet from President Trump suggesting that the collision could have been prevented, Duffy agreed, saying, “From what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not attend the morning briefing but was expected to address reporters at the Pentagon later.
If the plane’s passengers were all killed, this would become the deadliest U.S. commercial airline crash since the American Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff in Belle Harbor, New York, on November 12, 2001, taking the lives of all 260 people aboard.
The last major U.S. aviation disaster occurred in 2009 near Buffalo, New York, when a Bombardier DHC-8 aircraft crashed, killing all 50 people on board, including 45 passengers, two pilots, and two flight attendants.
Among the passengers aboard the ill-fated American Airlines flight were U.S. and Russian figure skaters and their families, returning from a development camp following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” said U.S. Figure Skating in a statement.
Two of the figure skating coaches onboard were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, Russian figure skaters who won the pairs title at the 1994 World Championships and competed in the Olympics. They coached at the Skating Club of Boston, and their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive U.S. figure skater.
The FAA reported that the crash took place before 9 p.m. EST in one of the world’s most strictly regulated airspaces, just over 3 miles south of the White House and Capitol Building.
Flight 5342 was approaching Reagan National at about 400 feet above ground and traveling at a speed of 140 mph when it suddenly dropped in altitude over the Potomac River. The aircraft, a 2004 Bombardier CRJ-701, is capable of carrying up to 70 passengers.
Just minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the pilot if they could land on the shorter Runway 33, to which they agreed. The plane adjusted its approach accordingly.
Less than 30 seconds before the collision, an air traffic controller contacted the helicopter to ask if it had the commercial jet in sight. Moments later, the controller radioed the helicopter again: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.” Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
The plane’s transponder stopped broadcasting when it was approximately 2,400 feet from the runway, over the center of the river.
Video footage from a nearby camera showed a fireball after the collision, with two sets of lights that appeared to be from the aircraft.
The U.S. Army identified the helicopter involved as a UH-60 Black Hawk, which had taken off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia. The helicopter was on a standard training mission. Military aircraft often fly in the congested airspace around Washington, D.C., for training and continuity of government purposes.
{Matzav.com}
