Midair collision between American Airlines jet, Army chopper claims 67 lives in worst US air crash since 2001

Bodies recovered from Potomac River

By Thursday, archetypal responders had pulled astatine slightest 28 bodies from the icy waters of the Potomac River, wherever the wreckage of the American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 determination pitchy and the Black Hawk chopper was scattered. The jetliner, en way from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying 60 passengers and 4 unit members. The chopper had 3 subject unit aboard.

Images from the country showed parts of the plane’s fuselage submerged successful waist-deep water, its helping jutting retired amid a hunt cognition involving boats and divers. “We are present astatine the constituent wherever we are switching from a rescue cognition to a betterment operation,” John Donnelly, the occurrence main for Washington, DC, said successful a property conference.

Airspace concerns

The collision occurred conscionable 3 miles from the White House and the US Capitol, successful airspace that ranks among the astir scrutinized successful the world. The American Airlines level was making its last attack to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport erstwhile the chopper reportedly flew into its path, starring to the fatal crash.

Preliminary accusation indicates the chopper was operating nether ocular formation rules and whitethorn person flown higher than the 200-foot ceiling it was required to maintain. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said altitude seemed to beryllium a factor, but emphasized the request for further investigation earlier drafting conclusions.

FAA nether scrutiny for staffing and procedures

Questions person already been raised astir aerial postulation power procedures that night. A study by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), obtained by quality bureau Associated Press, revealed that a azygous controller was managing some chopper postulation and the accomplishment of planes astatine Reagan National astatine the clip of the crash—a relation that is typically divided betwixt 2 controllers.

The determination to harvester these positions earlier than accustomed was made by the operation supervisor. While this configuration is modular signifier during periods of debased aerial traffic, an anonymous root acquainted with the substance noted that the determination was made up of docket that night.

President Donald Trump, speaking astatine a White House quality conference, criticized the FAA’s handling of the incident, adjacent arsenic national investigators cautioned that the nonstop origin remains unknown. Trump besides utilized the accidental to motorboat a broader governmental attack, blaming diverseness hiring policies astatine the FAA for what helium called “slipping standards.”

Investigators hunt for answers

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has begun its investigation, retrieving the formation information recorder and cockpit dependable recorder from the wreckage of the Bombardier CRJ700. Both devices are being analyzed astatine the NTSB’s lab.

According to information from the jet’s transponder, the craft was flying astatine 400 feet, preparing to onshore astatine a velocity of 140 mph erstwhile it abruptly mislaid altitude moments earlier the collision. Flight logs besides bespeak that controllers had redirected the jetliner to a shorter runway conscionable minutes earlier the crash.

The NTSB has confirmed that an aerial postulation controller asked the chopper unit whether they had the arriving jetliner successful sight. The chopper unit responded affirmatively and requested “visual separation,” meaning they could alert person than mean since they had the different craft successful view. The 2 craft collided seconds later.

An hr of anguish

President Trump opened Thursday’s quality league with a infinitesimal of soundlessness for the clang victims, calling it an “hour of anguish” for the nation. Throughout the day, astatine Reagan National Airport, a subdued ambiance pervaded arsenic passengers awaited the resumption of flights. Many stared retired astatine the Potomac River, wherever the wreckage of the level was partially disposable successful the distance.

“I’ve been crying since yesterday,” said Aster Andemicael, who had been waiting for a formation to Indiana with her begetter erstwhile the clang occurred. “This is devastating.”

Deadliest US aerial catastrophe since 2001

Wednesday’s calamity marks the deadliest level clang successful the United States since November 2001, erstwhile an American Airlines formation crashed into a residential vicinity successful Queens, New York, sidesplitting each 260 radical aboard.

Although aviation experts are speedy to item that flying remains 1 of the safest forms of travel, Wednesday’s clang is simply a grim reminder of the dangers contiguous successful adjacent the astir controlled environments, specified arsenic the airspace surrounding Washington DC.

Just implicit a time earlier the collision, different determination jetliner had to abort its landing astatine Reagan National owed to the proximity of a subject helicopter. That craft circled and landed safely minutes later.