All major wreckage from DC plane crash removed from Potomac River
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says crews have successfully taken all major pieces of wreckage from the D.C. plane crash out of the Potomac River. The announcement came Thursday evening, just a day after the remains of all 67 victims killed in the midair collision were recovered and positively identified, and a little over a week after the crash happened.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says crews have successfully taken all major pieces of wreckage from the D.C. plane crash out of the Potomac River.
The announcement came Thursday evening, just a day after the remains of all 67 victims killed in the midair collision were recovered and positively identified, and a little over a week after the crash happened.
READ MORE: All 67 victims positively identified, wreckage recovery moves forward
Unified Command which includes D.C. fire officials, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Coast Guard, said both the jet and helicopter were safely removed in four days. Pre-staging operations began Jan. 31 and initial removal of large wreckage started Feb. 3.
Making progress
What they’re saying:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Baltimore District, the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) said it was a significant milestone in their salvage operations.
They say all major components of both the American Airlines regional jet and U.S. Army Black Hawk were removed from the river and are being transported to a hangar at Reagan National Airport to be examined by the National Transportation Safety Board as part of their ongoing investigation.
“Thanks to the exhaustive efforts of Unified Command personnel, we were able to safely remove all major wreckage components of both the jet and helicopter from the Potomac in four days while simultaneously aiding recovery efforts to reunite families who are mourning the tremendous loss of their loved ones,” said USACE Baltimore District Commander Col. Francis Pera.
What’s next:
Salvage crews will now shift their focus to clearing smaller debris in the remaining debris field with salvage baskets before demobilizing equipment by Feb. 16.
“We will continue pushing forward in the coming days until we are confident the river is safe for navigation and that elements of evidentiary value are recovered and provided to the appropriate authorities,” said Pera.
Senate Committee briefed by NTSB and FAA
On Tuesday, a briefing on the Jan 29 incident was held before members of a Senate committee on commerce and transportation. The briefing includes the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is leading the investigation and the FAA.
While the briefing was not open to the public, Senate committee members said it included a number of questions pertaining to the equipment onboard, personnel levels, and airspace traffic.
“We need to follow the evidence. We need to determine exactly what caused it and then we need to learn lessons from the cause of that accident and do everything we can to prevent subsequent accident,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tx., who chairs the committee. “There’s no indication from the investigation that congestion was the cause of the accident. In this incident, it appears the Blackhawk helicopter was flying at a dramatically different altitude than where the helicopter was supposed to be.”
Members on the committee have urged the public to not speculate on what caused the collision.
READ MORE: Conflicting altitude readings come out after deadliest U.S. air accident in a generation
“Some of the main things I want to wonder are what kind of detection equipment were on the two different aircraft in terms of collision, challenges still…more questions about what is standard in that way and what we should be thinking about with the D.C. area just given how crowded things are, there are still more questions on that front,” Sen. Andy Kim, D-NJ said.
Asked whether it’s too soon to tell whether regulatory changes can be expected, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN said she “would hope” there are changes but also advised against “snap judgements” on possible factors into the deadly collision.
“It was very clear that the army is working with NTSB in a very positive way, so you didn’t feel like people were pointing fingers at each other. I left that room thinking they are really trying to make sure they get every single detail so we know what happens,” Sen. Klobuchar said. “Some of that has already been public, so then we can come up with solutions, not only for this airport and this airspace but nationally. I have long advocated for more air traffic controllers, but I have also advocated for better technology. I think both of those things will play into those solutions here.”
The NTSB said at its first news conference Jan. 30, its preliminary report would be released within 30 days of the incident. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-KS said he doesn’t expect final conclusions to be released for several months.
“Safety has to be paramount. We have made steps in the right direction in our FAA reauthorization but obviously, there is more that can be done, and I think this is a Congress that would be willing to do it,” he said.
What happened?
What we know:
The investigation into what caused the deadly midair collision is still underway. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are both working to determine what led up to the crash.
Just after 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, American Airlines Flight 5342 was preparing to touchdown at Ronald Reagan National Airport. A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked pilots if they could land the jet on a shorter runway and they said they were able.
Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight-tracking sites showed the plane adjusting its approach to the new runway.
READ MORE: NTSB investigates altitude data of Black Hawk helicopter in deadly midair collision
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the Black Hawk if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later, telling them, “PAT 25, pass behind the CRJ.” Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
The wreckage tumbled into the icy Potomac River and all 67 people on board the flights — 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Eagle jetliner, and three people onboard the military helicopter — were killed in the crash. It marked the deadliest U.S. air disaster in almost 25 years.
Immediately following the crash, the Army Corps of Engineers worked alongside local, state and federal partners to aid in initial rescue and recovery operations as they began the preliminary assessments required for salvage operations. Pre-staging operations began Jan. 31 and initial removal of large wreckage started Feb. 3.
What we don’t know:
Whether it was human error or a mechanical error that caused the deadly crash is yet to be determined. The NTSB and FAA have urged patience as they continue to investigate, saying it will take some time.
Happening now
Changing Flight Frequencies:
On Thursday, the FAA confirmed it would be slowing traffic into and out of Reagan National Airport.
READ MORE: Airport workers accused of sharing DCA plane crash video arrested
FOX 5 initially reached out after a report from Reuters on plans from the FAA to reduce flight arrivals at DCA to address safety concerns. Reuters reports the reduction would be from a maximum rate of 28 to 26 arrivals per hour, which increase average delays from 40 minutes to 50 minutes.
In a statement to FOX 5, the FAA did not address specific changes as listed in the report. However, a spokesperson said the changes were to “weather conditions and recovery efforts in the area.”
Wreckage Recovery:
According to Unified Command, recovered wreckage will be transported to a secured location for wreckage layout examination.
Salvage crews will now shift their focus to clearing smaller debris in the remaining debris field with salvage baskets before demobilizing equipment by Feb. 16.
