55 victims in Washington, DC midair collision pulled from Potomac River as recovery operation continues

Officials successful Washington, D.C., identified 55 bodies pulled from the Potomac River during a strenuous multi-day betterment cognition pursuing the midair collision betwixt a commercialized level and a Black Hawk chopper past week.

D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, Sr. told reporters connected Sunday that the remains of 55 of the 67 victims of the craft collision person been identified. The lone wounded that Donnelly reported was a archetypal responder who developed hypothermia portion searching successful the freezing acold water, but the idiosyncratic aboriginal recovered.

Officials besides said they program to commencement lifting the debris retired of the Potomac River connected Monday. Col. Francis Pera from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers said helium anticipates "a palmy lift" connected Monday morning, aboriginal adding that they volition screen the wreckage with a structure to support immoderate quality remains.

"We bash person a process wherever we volition beryllium watching the assistance arsenic it happens," Pera explained. "And past if determination are remains successful there, that volition not determination portion we're recovering the wreckage. We volition bring that wreckage to the aboveground of the barge. Our process [is] to instantly structure the barge to marque definite that we person afloat discretion."

HARROWING VIDEO FROM MILITARY BASE SHOWS NEW ANGLE OF MIDAIR CRASH CATASTROPHE

Emergency vehicles and betterment operations are seen adjacent the rima of the Anacostia River astatine the Potomac River adjacent Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, successful Washington.  (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Officials person been astatine the debris tract successful the stream since soon aft the collision betwixt a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a Bombardier CRJ700 airliner operating nether PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines.

The plane's formation information recorder indicated that it was struck astatine 325 feet by the chopper connected Wednesday night, and that anterior to impact, determination was a alteration successful the aircraft’s pitch, according to preliminary accusation released connected Saturday.

"Currently, the CRJ (plane) based connected the information recorder astatine the clip of interaction was 325 feet, positive oregon minus 25 feet," National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) subordinate Todd Inman said astatine a Saturday quality conference. "And for those who travel this closely, that is simply a corrected altitude."

"I tin archer you astatine 1 point, precise adjacent to the impact, determination was a flimsy alteration successful pitch, an summation successful pitch," helium added later, erstwhile asked whether the level pulled up.

While aerial postulation power information had the plane's altitude astatine 200 feet astatine impact, Inman said they "have not finalized that and request to get much granularity to it," and that information from the Black Hawk's recorder is besides needed to reply for the evident 100-foot quality successful altitude.

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER

Crews retrieve the wreckage of American Airlines formation 5342 from the Potomac River connected Jan. 30, 2025. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

"Whenever we person the information from the recorder, we volition beryllium capable to springiness you a much circumstantial answer," Inman said.

Jake Crockett, a firefighter and diver with the Scuba Rescue Team of Chesterfield Fire & EMS, told Fox News Digital past week that the betterment cognition is "incredibly unusual."

"We're trained and ever acceptable to reply the call…when the dive telephone comes in, but that's typically involving 1 victim. And, successful uncommon occasions, a mates of victims," Crockett explained. 

"But thing of this magnitude, you know, having 67 radical to relationship for, on with 2 craft and each the debris is conscionable it's incredibly retired of the ordinary. It's thing that, nary doubt, nary of them nor myself could person predicted."

The firefighter besides noted that the Potomac River poses challenges related to somesthesia and h2o visibility.

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A level flies adjacent Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport successful the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle formation 5342 and a Black Hawk chopper that crashed into the Potomac River, successful Arlington, Virginia, connected Jan. 30, 2025.  (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

"It's going to beryllium zero visibility oregon adjacent to zero is that they'll beryllium diving in, and truthful looking for tiny parts of an craft successful that benignant of visibility is going to beryllium highly challenging," Crockett explained. "The waters present and the lakes and ponds and rivers…when you spell in, it's conscionable dark."

Fox News Digital's Mollie Markowitz contributed to this report.