All passengers presumed dead after plane, helicopter collide near Washington
What's the story
Washington, DC Fire Chief John Donnelly believes there are no survivors after an American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, DC, on Thursday.
The two aircraft plunged into the icy Potomac River.
"We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," confirmed Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly.
Crash specifics
Collision details and immediate aftermath
The crash involved American Airlines Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ-701 jet with 64 people (60 passengers and four crew members) on board, and a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with three soldiers on board.
The helicopter was conducting a training flight at the time of the crash.
According to US media reports, air traffic controllers had warned the helicopter about its proximity to the passenger jet moments before the crash.
Ongoing probe
Investigation underway, Reagan National Airport closed
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that they had "early indications" of how the crash occurred without going into detail, emphasizing that the United States has "the safest airspace in the world."
"Everything was standard in the lead-up to the crash. Obviously, there was something that happened here," Duffy said.
Similarly, CEO of American Airlines Robert Isom said, "At this time, we don't know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft."
Safety issues
28 bodies have been recovered
So far, 28 bodies have been recovered, Donnelly told reporters; 27 bodies from the plane and one from the helicopter.
Among those onboard the plane were former world champion figure skaters, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. They were the 1994 World Figure Skating Championship pairs winners.
US Figure Skating confirmed that a number of figure skaters, families, and coaches were on the ill-fated flight. They were returning from a national development camp held along with the US championships in Kansas.