No survivors are expected to be found following a mid-air collision of an American Airlines jet and a military Black Hawk helicopter near Washington DC, authorities have said. The bodies of 28 people have already been retrieved by search and rescue teams from the Potomac River.
The collision occurred at about 9pm on Wednesday as the jet was on approach to land at Reagan National airport from Wichita, Kansas. Operated by the regional carrier PSA Airlines as American Eagle flight 5342, the plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, and collided with a US army helicopter with three soldiers onboard, sending both into the river.
It was the first fatal commercial airline crash in the US since 2009, according to Sean Duffy, the newly confirmed transportation secretary who was sworn into office the day of the crash. He added that he believed the incident was “preventable”.
More than 300 emergency workers, including divers, deployed to the Potomac, where they faced packed ice and high winds. John Donnelly, Washington DC’s fire chief, said the operation’s objective had shifted from rescue to recovery.
“We don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” he told a press conference on Thursday morning.
Donnelly said that the wreckage from the aircraft had been spread out by the wind but that recovery efforts continued and he was confident rescuers could recover all the bodies. Of those found so far, 27 were from the plane and one from the helicopter.
“We will continue to work to find all the bodies to reunite them with their loved ones,” Donnelly said. “I’m confident that we will do that. It will take us a little bit of time. It may involve some more equipment.”
The Bombardier CRJ-700 jet broke into three parts and was in waist-deep water in the Potomac, Duffy said. He said both the helicopter and the passenger plane were flying in a “standard flight pattern” on a clear night before the crash and that investigators would work to ascertain how the accident occurred.
He noted that it was not uncommon for military aircraft to be seen in the skies over the nation’s capital, including near Reagan National, which is located across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia.
“Safety is our expectation, everyone who flies in American skies expects we fly safely,” Duffy said. “That didn’t happen last night. We will not rest until we have answers for the families and the flying public. You should be assured when you fly, you are safe.”
Muriel Bowser, Washington’s mayor, said that the passengers of the plane included “families from our region, Kansas and across the country. We share a profound sense of grief.”
Reagan National airport was closed immediately after the incident, but was scheduled to reopen on Thursday morning. A helpline for family and friends of those potentially affected has been set up by American Airlines – 800 679 8215.
“This is devastating,” said Robert Isom, chief executive of American Airlines. “We are all hurting, incredibly.”
Article by:Source: Oliver Milman, Chris Stein and Joseph Gedeon in Washington
