By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — New details continue to emerge following the American Airlines collision with a military helicopter near the Reagan National Airport (DCA) just outside the nation’s capital.
At 8:48 Wednesday evening, a large regional emergency response was triggered across the Washington metro area. Crews arrived on scene to DCA at approximately 8:58 pm.
Rescue efforts were immediately underway for several hours well into Thursday morning. Around 4:00 in the morning, officials say the rescue efforts shifted to recovery efforts.
A total of 67 people were involved in the tragic accident, 64 onboard American Airlines Flight 5342, and three Army soldiers on the Black Hawk helicopter. As of early Thursday afternoon, there are no survivors.
Right before a routine landing from the south of Reagan National, Flight 5342, a CRJ-700, collided with the military helicopter. The Black Hawk was reportedly on a training flight out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Both aircraft plunged into the frigid Potomac River.
Cold temperatures, murky water and darkness made rescue efforts difficult.
“The water that we’re operating in is about eight feet deep. There is wind, there is pieces of ice out there. It’s just dangerous and hard to work in. And because there’s not a lot of lights, you’re out there searching every square inch of space to see if you can find anybody. Divers are doing the same thing in the water,” said DC Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly early Thursday morning. “The water is dark, it is murky. And that is a very tough condition for them to dive in.”
President Trump was briefed on the collision Wednesday evening. Trump and federal transportation officials say the tragic accident was “absolutely” preventable.
“We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point. But to back up what the President said, what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy early Thursday morning. “We will not rest until we have answers for the families and for the flying public. You should be assured that when you fly, you’re safe.”
Officials will no doubt be working around the clock to find out exactly what went wrong as an NTSB investigation gets underway. Various staging locations have been set up along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. Investigators and officials will work to physically piece together the accident as they determine what went wrong. With inclement weather expected in the next 24 hours, it’s a race against the clock for recovery efforts and debris collection.
