All 67 Passengers Dead In 'Deadliest' Aircraft Crash In US Since 2001; Recovery Ops Continue On Ice-Cold Potomac River

The deadly midair collision between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight near Washington DC's Ronald Reagan National Airport killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft, officials confirmed on Thursday. The massive aviation disaster is considered the deadliest in the history of the United States since the November 2001 plane crash that killed all 260 people onboard.

“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation's capital, told the Associated Press

Officials retrieved at least 28 bodies from the Potomac River after the aircraft crashed into the ice-cold waters as the army helicopter collided with the jet late Wednesday seconds which was just a few seconds away from landing at the airport. The aircraft was carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew members while the army helicopter had a crew of three.

Plane Crashes Into Ice-Cold Potomac River: Key Points

About the crash

American Airlines flight 5342 was at an altitude of about 400 feet and a speed of about 140 miles per hour when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River.

Data retrieved from the flight's radio transponder suggested that a few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National.

The pilots said they were positive following which the controllers cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the army helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later saying “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.”

Seconds after that the two aircraft collide and the plane's radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the Potomac river.

As per the official statement issued by FAA, "A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time. PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas."

Control tower staffing 'not normal'

After a preliminary investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials told the Associated Press that control tower staffing on Wednesday was “not normal” at the time of the disaster as one air traffic controller was doing work normally assigned to two people.

“The position configuration was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” the FAA report said.

Flight data recorder recovered

National Transportation Safety Board investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder from the Bombardier CRJ700 airplane, agency spokesperson Peter Knudson said. They were at the agency's labs for evaluation.

Recovery operations on Potomac River

The plane was found upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, and first responders were searching miles of the Potomac, Donnelly said. The helicopter wreckage was also found. Images from the river showed boats around the partly submerged wing and the mangled wreckage of the plane's fuselage.

Helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region promptly launched an extensive scene in search of survivors.

Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a point near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport. Besides, the FBI Washington Field Office라이브 바카라 National Capital Response Squad is also responding to the situation to support law enforcement and public safety partners.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asserted that the Coast Guard has been 'deploying every available' resource to respond to the critical situation, reported AP.

“We are actively monitoring the situation & stand ready to support local responders,” Noem said in a post on X.

Trump Holds 'Diversity Laws' Accountable For The Mishap

In a political mudslinging, US President Trump lashed out at the Biden administration and diversity efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration, saying they had led to slipping standards — even as he acknowledged that the cause of the crash was unknown.

Without evidence, Trump blamed air traffic controllers, the helicopter pilots and Democratic policies at federal agencies. He claimed the FAA was “actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative."

(With AP Inputs)