Prayers Up: Everyone aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter is feared dead
Emergency personnel on Jan. 30 work at the site of the crash after a Black Hawk helicopter and an passenger plane collided and crashed in the Potomac River, outside Washington. © Reuters
At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, officials said Thursday.
Crews were still searching for other casualties but did not believe there were any survivors, which would make it the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly 24 years.
What caused the collision? There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision. Officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita, Kansas, was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path. Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter during a training flight, an Army official said.
What’s known about the victims? Passengers on the flight included a group of figure skaters, their coaches and family members who were returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.
What’s the latest on the recovery efforts? The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found. Some 300 first responders were on scene as of early Thursday morning.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump questioned the tactics of the military helicopter and the air traffic controllers — both agencies that report to him as the president.
Writing that the “airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach for an extended period of time” on a “CLEAR NIGHT,” Trump questioned, “why didn’t the helicopter go up or down or turn,” and “why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.”
“What a terrible night this has been. God Bless you all!” he added in a subsequent post.
SOURCE: The Associated Press
