By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — It is the second full day of recovery efforts for crews following the deadliest U.S. plane crash in nearly 25 years.
All 67 people involved have died as a result of the American Airlines flight collision with a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport Wednesday night.
Local officials and the unified command team delivered a press conference from the airport just before 3:00 Friday afternoon. Officials confirmed the remains of 41 victims have been recovered, 28 have been identified.
On Friday, crews worked through inclement weather conditions and cold water. During the press conference, D.C. Fire and EMS officials said the weather “slightly” impacts ongoing recovery efforts, but added the scene is still “workable.”
Local emergency responders say they’ve received numerous 911 calls to report debris from the crash. On Thursday, helicopters flew close to the banks of the Potomac River, presumably searching for debris. The helicopters were canvassing a large area, at times far south of the airport.
Officials confirmed they have covered a wide area when searching for victims and debris, and say they know where to focus. They expect all remains will be recovered but did not provide an exact timeline.
“We think we know where they are. We won’t know until we’re done. We’re going to continue this search operation, but we’ve searched a large portion of this river, and we are right there,” said D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly Sr.
Chief Donnelly suggested today that the plane’s body, or fuselage, may need to be removed to recover remaining bodies.
“Yes. I believe for us to recover the rest of the remains that we are going to need to get the fuselage out of the water,” said Chief John Donnelly Sr., with D.C. Fire and EMS.
Officials said most of the efforts today were focused on the Black Hawk helicopter. According to the NTSB, crews were able to recover the black box from the Black Hawk on Friday.
Recent reports suggest the Army Black Hawk was flying too high, above it’s approved path.
“The Black Hawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200 foot limit,” said President Donald Trump on Truth Social Friday morning.
Whether or not the Black Hawk’s altitude was a contributing factor in the crash, will likely be covered in a thorough NTSB investigation. A preliminary report from that investigation is expected within 30 days.
Reagan National Airport has been operating in a limited capacity since Thursday morning. Two out of the three runways are closed at the airport, which typically sees 800 flights each day.
