Search and rescue groups work within the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, with the Capitol dome within the background, as seen from Virginia, U.S., Jan. 30, 2025.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
WASHINGTON — How an Military Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Airways jetliner in a lethal crash over the Potomac River on Wednesday night time continues to be unknown, however key questions are rising, together with concerning the altitude of the army helicopter.
Crash investigators recovered a flight recorder from the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter, including to proof they are going to comb by, which already consists of interviews with air visitors controllers, together with the one on responsibility on the time of the crash, and the 2 recorders from the airplane, Nationwide Transportation Security Board member Todd Inman mentioned Friday.
Barges are en path to raise the big items of the CRJ-700 from the Potomac River on Saturday, Inman mentioned at a briefing.
All 64 folks on American Flight 5342 and the three aboard the helicopter had been killed within the fireball collision close to the Washington, D.C.’s Reagan Nationwide Airport, marking the deadliest U.S. air crash since 2001.
Forty-one our bodies have been recovered from the crash website, Hearth and EMS Chief John Donnelly mentioned at a press convention Friday. Of these, 28 have been positively recognized.
“We’ve in aviation what’s referred to as a ‘Swiss cheese method,’ whereby if one thing fails, a backup ought to catch it, a number of layers of redundancy,” Inman mentioned. “It has been a really very long time since we have had a serious aviation incident in america and that is why it is one of many most secure types of transportation within the nation.”
The PSA Airways Bombardier CRJ-700 plane was flying at about 300 toes on closing method into Reagan Nationwide’s Runway 33 shortly earlier than 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday when it collided with the Black Hawk helicopter.
PSA Airways is one in every of American’s subsidiaries that flies regional routes, flights marketed as American Eagle.
Emergency personnel work close to the location of the crash, with the U.S. Capitol within the background, after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter whereas approaching Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport and crashed within the Potomac River, U.S. January 30, 2025.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned the helicopter was on an annual proficiency coaching flight.
In keeping with Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, helicopters, which recurrently cross by and round Washington, between army bases, the Pentagon and different areas, should fly within the space near the airport at a most of 200 toes.
“In D.C., it is type of a singular surroundings,” Inman mentioned at a briefing Thursday. He famous that there are helicopter zones, or tracks, in Washington. “This one was transitioning from monitor one to 4 as a part of their regular process. In the event you dwell in D.C., you see a whole lot of helicopters taking place into this space. So there is a very well-defined system.”
The FAA will limit helicopter visitors across the Reagan Nationwide Airport space, with some exceptions for medical evacuation and regulation enforcement operations, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy mentioned on X Friday.
The airspace is a few of the most congested within the nation and Reagan Nationwide says its important runway is the busiest within the U.S.
Whereas the investigation is ongoing, two out of three runways are closed on the airport due to their proximity to the crash space. Terry Liercke, vp and airport supervisor, informed the press Friday that he expects these closures may final for a couple of week.
Officers on the airport mentioned greater than 100 flights had been canceled Friday, citing the runway closures and dangerous climate.
“As you flip to align with the runway, your focus is on the flight path to get on the runway shortly and get the airplane stopped,” mentioned John Cox, a retired airline pilot and aviation security advisor.
The NTSB is main the investigation into the collision that led to a fireball. The company mentioned it’s nonetheless gathering info and that it’s too early to attract conclusions.
“It is not that we do not have info. We do have info,” mentioned NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “We’ve substantial quantities of knowledge. We have to confirm info. We have to take our time to ensure it’s correct.”
The NTSB additionally recovered flight information and cockpit voice recorders from the passenger jet. The packing containers had been taken to NTSB labs for analysis, the company mentioned.
An NTSB investigator works on the black field of American Eagle flight 5342, which was concerned in a collision with a Black Hawk helicopter, at an unknown location on this undated handout picture launched on January 30, 2025.
NTSB | By way of Reuters
President Donald Trump on Friday wrote on Fact Social that the helicopter “was flying too excessive, by lots. It was far above the 200 foot restrict. That is not likely too difficult to know, is it???”
Hegseth made an analogous assertion at a White Home briefing Thursday.
“Tragically, final night time a mistake was made,” he mentioned. “There was some kind of an elevation difficulty that we’ve got instantly begun investigating on the DoD and Military degree.”
Each statements had been uncommon within the wake of a crash and the early levels of an airline accident investigation.
The accident ends a decade-and-a-half interval of air security within the U.S., which hasn’t seen a deadly industrial crash since 2009, although passenger visitors has elevated by greater than 35% to data. That crash prompted a bunch of stricter pilot coaching and relaxation requirements.
Shortages of air visitors controllers has been a priority for years, and a spate of shut calls at U.S. airports have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators.
(EDITORS NOTE: Picture incorporates graphic content material) On this U.S. Coast Guard handout, the Coast Guard investigates plane wreckage on the Potomac River on Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Giles | U.S. Coast Guard | Handout | Getty Photos
Staffing at Reagan Nationwide the night time of the crash wasn’t regular for the quantity of visitors and time of day on the night time of the crash, in response to a preliminary FAA security report on the collision, NBC Information reported on Thursday.
Citing a supply, NBC mentioned the airport tower normally has a controller who focuses on helicopter visitors, although FAA tips permit for that place to be mixed with one other controller’s place, so one controller controls each airplanes and helicopters. The FAA did not reply to a request for touch upon the report.
NBC Information reported on Friday, citing a supply aware of the investigation {that a} supervisor on the Reagan Nationwide tower let a controller go away their shift early.
Inman mentioned on Friday that investigators will look again at air visitors controllers’ previous 72 hours and even weeks.
“We’ll take a look at their coaching, their hiring, every little thing, what they most likely ate that day,” he mentioned. “However it isn’t one level that tells us every little thing. It is layered into a whole lot of different info that is very vital.”
