1 of 9 | Flights resume at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday as a recovery operation is underway after dozens are dead due to an American Eagle regional jet collision with an Army helicopter landing into Potomac River on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. More than 30 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River, where American Eagle Flight 5342 and a military helicopter now reside. There are no survivors. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said during a press conference Thursday morning there were no survivors in the crash between and American Airlines jet and a military helicopter.
“We don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter,” Donnelly said. Advertisement
About 300 first responders worked the crash in harsh conditions, heavy wind, ice on the water and they operated all night in those conditions. Donnelly said several local and state agencies responded in addition to Washington first responders and the Department of Defense.
Donnelly said responders will continue to work to find all the bodies from the crash. He said the Virginia and Army medical examiners are involved in the effort to retrieve and identify the bodies of the victims.
“We have located the two aircrafts. The fuselage of the American Airlines plane was inverted. It’s been located in three different sections. It’s in about waist-deep water,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. Advertisement
He said the government will not rest until it gets answers for the families and for the flying public about what caused an airliner to collide with a military helicopter.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in video statement Thursday the military helicopter was on an annual proficiency training flight.
“It was a fairly experienced crew that was doing the required annual night evaluation. They did have night vision goggles,” Hegseth said. “We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft was in the corridor at the right altitude at the time of the incident.”
Hegseth said next-of-kin notifications are ongoing for the three soldiers lost in the helicopter.
“It’s a tragedy, a horrible loss of life for those 64 souls on that civilian airliner and of course the three soldiers in that Blackhawk,” Hegseth said. “They’re in our prayers. We are actively investigating to find out what happened and why.”
Despite this deadly crash, Americans have the safest airports in the world, Duffy added.
“I will tell you with complete confidence, we have the safest airspace in the world,” he said.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said first responders “worked throughout the night in very tough and heartbreaking conditions.” Advertisement
She expressed sorrow for the families who lost loved ones.
American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, collided with a Blackhawk military helicopter when the chopper entered the airliner’s landing path as it approached Reagan National Airport about 9 p.m. local time Wednesday.
Duffy said prior to the collision the flight paths of the two aircraft weren’t unusual for what happens in the Washington airspace. He said everything was standard in the lead-up to the crash.
He said with the investigation authorities and the public will learn what happened.
“Something went wrong here,” Duffy said, “I look forward to the time we can give you that information.”
President Donald Trump expressed condolences for the victims in a briefing from the White House.
“I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for a nation…Sadly there are no survivors. This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history and a tragedy of terrible proportions. As one nation we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly.”
He said the tragedy has shaken a lot of people. He said on behalf of the nation and the White House, “our hearts are shattered.” Advertisement
“In moments like this the differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds of affection and loyalty that unite us all, both as Americans and even as nations. We are one family and today we are all heartbroken. We’re all searching for answers.”
He said the FAA, the NTSB and the U.S. military will be carrying out a systematic and comprehensive investigation.
After the conciliatory remarks about the tragedy, Trump launched into a political criticism of diversity in the FAA and attacked the Biden and Obama administrations for what he claimed were bad administrative decisions at the FAA and DOT.
He claimed he improved standards and Democrats “changed it back.”
Trump said the crash was a tragedy that didn’t have to happen.
Reagan National Airport plans to reopen at 11 a.m. EST Thursday. according to Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter.
“We’re going to open the airport at 11:00 It’s safe,” Potter said. “We have worked with all the federal agencies — FAA, and it’s been determined that we can open that airport safely. The recovery effort that’s on our property is on the waterfront. Our primary runway, 119, will be open.”
He said it’s away from any recovery and investigation activity with a secure area around that. Advertisement
Potter said each airline will announce or communicate to their passengers what their operations are going to be. He said airport networks were disrupted overnight and recovery from that might be slow.
“There are going to be a lot of questions, obviously, a lot of questions. And that’s what the NTSB’s job is, to be an independent investigator of incidents like this. It’s not a time to speculate, it’s a time to get answers that we need,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said.
Recovery operations are ongoing and the crash area is spread out in the Potomac River.
“I want to express my sincere condolences for the accident that happened at DCA last night. We’re absolutely heartbroken for the family and loved ones of the passengers and crew members and also for those that were on the military aircraft,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said.
“Our focus right now is to doing everything that we can to support all of those involved and also the PSA Airlines team. This is devastating. We are all hurting incredibly.”
U.S. Figure Skating said in statement that many skaters, coaches and some of their family members were on the airliner. Advertisement
Skating Club of Boston owner and CEO Doug Zeghibe told NBC 4 in Washington, “To the best of our knowledge 14 skaters were returning home from the national development camp at Wichita, Kansas, put on by U.S. Figure Skating were lost in the plane crash at Washington, D.C.”
“Of those 14 skaters, six were from the Skating Club of Boston. Two coaches, two teenage athletes, and the athletes moms,” Zeghibe added.
He said skating is a very close and tight-knit community and he said there is a close, tight bond between them.
He choked up when he said, “And I think for all of us, we have lost family.”
