Washington: A midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight claimed the lives of all 67 people on board both aircraft, officials said. Investigators are examining the military pilot’s actions and have noted that control tower staffing was “not normal” at the time of what is now the country’s worst aviation disaster in a generation.
At least 28 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter seemingly flew into the jet’s path late Wednesday as it was approaching its landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport, just across the river from Washington, officials said.
Here are the top updates:
- The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew members, while the helicopter had three soldiers aboard.
- At the time of the collision, one air traffic controller was handling tasks normally assigned to two people in the control tower at Reagan National.
- A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report, obtained by The Associated Press, stated that the control tower staffing was not normal for the time and traffic volume.
- President Donald Trump confirmed in a White House news conference that there were no survivors.
- Fire Chief John Donnelly announced that the operation had shifted from rescue to recovery.
- The plane was discovered upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water.
- First responders were searching an area of the Potomac River extending 3 miles (4.8 km) south to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, according to Donnelly.
- The helicopter wreckage was also located. Images from the Potomac river showed boats surrounding the partly submerged wing and the mangled fuselage of the plane.
- The collision was the deadliest US air crash since 2001.
- The cause of the collision remains unknown, but officials confirmed that flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas.
- Among those on board were US and Russian figure skaters, along with other passengers.
