No one is believed to have survived after a plane and helicopter crashed in mid-air over Washington DC’s Potomac River, officials say Sixty-four people were on the American Airlines flight and three on the military helicopter when the aircraft collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport. Emergency services chief John Donnelly says 28 bodies have been found so far It was a “clear night”, the pilots were “experienced” and everything was standard in the lead-up to the crash, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says – but “obviously something happened”. Investigators are focusing on “why the helicopter was flying at that location” – earlier, US President Donald Trump also questioned why the helicopter didn’t “go up or down, or turn”. Officials in Wichita, Kansas, where the plane took off from, tell a news conference their “hearts are heavy”.
The two aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, where a rescue operation has become a major recovery effort, with dozens of bodies pulled from the water so far.
The regional jet was arriving from Wichita, Kansas, parent company American Airlines said.
The U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter was carrying three people, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
American figure skaters, coaches and family members who had been at camp in Wichita were among those aboard the passenger jet, according to U.S. Figure Skating.
Russian state media confirmed that Russian figure skaters and coaches were also on board.
No black boxes have been recovered from the crash scene yet, according to a National Transportation Safety Board source.
A black box is a flight data recorder that records information from the aircraft and its journey.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the collision was “absolutely” preventable.
Duffy told reporters the helicopter and civilian jet were in a “standard pattern” last night, and there was “standard communication” between the aircraft and the air traffic control tower. He said that experienced pilots were involved.
“Everything was standard in the lead-up to the crash. Obviously something happened here,” he said.
He later said he believes President Donald Trump’s claim that the incident was preventable was true.
“To back up what the president said, what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” he said.
Wednesday night’s midair collision over the Potomac River is the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since November 12, 2001, when an American Airlines flight crashed in New York, killing all 260 people on board.
Just two months after the 9/11 terrorist attack, American Airlines Flight 587 plummeted into Belle Harbor, Queens. Despite the initial concerns, the National Transportation Safety Board found no evidence of sabotage. It was the highest death toll for any single airliner crash in US history. All 260 people on board were killed, along with five people on the ground.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
