A plane with 60 passengers and four crew crashed into a US Army helicopter on Wednesday as he approached Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, United States.
According to the Washington Fire Department and the capital’s airport authority, there are no survivors. At least 30 bodies had already been recovered from the freezing waters of the Potomac River until the publication of this article.
The one in one of the world’s most controlled and monitored air spaces, just over 5 kilometers from the White House and the US capitol.
Here is what is already known about the collision:
The accident
The air collision happened around 9 pm on Wednesday, local time, when a commercial plane, at the end of a flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter in a training exercise, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA ).
A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked American Airlines flight 5342 could land on a shorter track, and the pilots agreed. The controllers released the landing jet, and flight tracking sites showed the aircraft by adjusting its approach to the new track.
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Less than 30 seconds before the accident, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter crew if they had the plane in sight. Moments later, the controller made another radio call to the helicopter: “Pat 25, go after the CRJ”. There was no answer. Seconds later, both aircraft collided.
The radio transponder of the plane stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet before the track, about the middle of the Potomac River.
Rescue in difficult conditions
Rescue teams were scouring the icy waters of the Potomac River in search of the bodies of the victims of the plane crash. Images showed boats around a partially submerged wing and what appeared to be the twisted fuselage of the aircraft. Helicopters flyted with powerful spotlight scanning the turned waters, while emergency vehicles illuminated the margins of Potomac with a long line of flashing red lights. The water temperature was just above the freezing point.
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About 300 rescuers are involved in the rescue operation. Washington’s Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services Chief John A. Donnelly said at the news conference that the conditions for rescuers are “extremely difficult” due to the intense cold and the strong winds. The Potomac River is about 2.5 meters deep in the area where the aircraft fell after the collision. “The water is dark, blurred,” said Donnelly.
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Death
The 64 people on board died. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas lamented the accident. “When a person dies, it’s a tragedy, but when many, many people die, it’s an unbearable pain.”
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Group of skaters and coaches was in the jet
Passengers aboard the jet included one, their coaches and relatives who were returning from a development field held after the US National Wichita National Skating Championship, US Figure Skating said in a statement.
The organization confirmed that “several members of the skating community” were on the flight without providing further details. “We are devastated by this indescribable tragedy and we have the families of the victims in our hearts,” the organization said. “We will continue to follow the situation and disclose more information as available.”
Trump
In a post on Truth Social, Trump questioned the tactics of the military helicopter and air traffic controllers – both agencies subordinate to him as president. Writing that the “plane was on a perfect and routine line of approach for a long time” in a “clear night,” Trump asked, “Why didn’t the helicopter go up, descended or turned?” And “Why didn’t the control tower say to the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane?”
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“What a terrible night that was. God bless you all! ”He added in a subsequent post.
Helicopter was on a training flight
The US Army reported that the helicopter that collided with the passenger jet was a Blackhawk 60 Blackhawk based on Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Three soldiers were aboard the aircraft, according to an army officer. The helicopter was on a training flight. Military aircraft often conduct training flights in the congested and highly restricted area of airspace around the country’s capital for the purpose of familiarization and government continuity planning.
Airport
Located on the banks of the Potomac River, southwest of Washington, Reagan National Airport is a popular choice for being closer to the city than Dulles International Airport. All takeoffs and landings at Reagan airport were interrupted. FAA has announced that the airport will reopen at 11am this Thursday.
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The American capital, however, is protected by Anacostia Air Base, which is on the other side of the river in relation to the airport. The Pentagon, the White House and the Congress are very close to the place as well.
Investigation
Investigators will try to rebuild the final moments of aircraft before the collision, including contact with air traffic controllers and the loss of passenger jet altitude.
Aircraft involved
It was an UH-60 Black Hawk, based on Fort Belvoir, Virginia, according to the US Army. A military officer reported that there were three soldiers aboard the aircraft.
The other plane was a Canadian jet 1 with two engines, produced in 2004. It can be configured to transport up to 70 passengers.
Fatal accident history
Fatal accidents involving commercial planes in the US became rare. The last one occurred in 2009, near Buffalo, New York. All 45 passengers and four crew died when a bombardier DHC-8 the propeller fell on a house, also killing a person on the ground.
The incident of this Wednesday recalls the fall of a Florida Air flight, which fell on the Potomac River on January 13, 1982, killing 78 people. This accident was attributed to bad weather.
