Everyone aboard a plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members from Wichita, Kansas, had a mid-air collision with a U.S Army helicopter Jan. 29, and eventually crashed into Washington D.C’s Potomac River was feared dead. This is likely to be the worst U.S aviation disaster in almost a quarter century, officials revealed.
The city’s fire chief John Donnely stated that the crash has switched from a rescue to a recovery protocol, noting that 27 bodies have been recovered from the scene of the plane crash, as well ass one from the helicopter’s crash. “Crews were still searching for other casualties but did not believe there were any survivors.
I’m confident that we will do that,” Donnelly said during a press conference of locating the rest of the deceased, noting that the next phase of the operation will be helmed by the National Transportation Safety Board, “and that will take us a little bit of time, though. It may involve some more equipment.
The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found. Donnely said first responders on Thursday were searching an area of the Potomac River as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, roughly 3 miles south of the airport.
There was no immediate word on the real cause of the collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita, Kansas, with U.S and Russian figure skaters and other aboard, was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said. “At this time we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the … aircraft.”
All flights in an out of Washington, D.C’s Ronald Reagan National Airport were paused until II a.m., Video footage from the nearby Kennedy Center appears to show the aircraft conjoining into a fireball.
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport, President Donald Trump said. “May God Bless their souls.”
American Airlines said in a statement; “If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215. Those calling from outside the U.S can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico, or the U.S Virgin Islands can call 800-679-8215 directly.”
