WASHINGTON – Hundreds of rescuers are searching the frigid waters of the Potomac River for survivors after an American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington on Wednesday.
Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter, an Army official said.
The Associated Press reported multiple fatalities, but the exact number remained uncertain as rescue teams continued their search for survivors.
Images from the scene depicted boats surrounding the partially submerged wing and what appeared to be the mangled wreckage of the aircraft’s fuselage.
LIVE: Plane carrying 64 collides with Army helicopter near DC
Duffy says plane crash was “absolutely” preventable
8:19 a.m.:
When asked about President Donald Trump’s overnight social media post that the collision between an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members and an Army helicopter could have been prevented, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “Do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”
Duffy also said passengers should be “assured” that flying is safe.
“I would just say that everyone who flies in American skies expects that we fly safely. That when you depart an airport, you get to your destination. That didn’t happen last night and I know that President Trump, his administration, the FAA, the DOT, 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.”
“Profound sense of grief”
8:02 a.m.:
“We are going to recover our fellow citizens,” District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a somber news conference at the airport in which she declined to say how many bodies had been recovered.
“This morning we all share a profound sense of grief,” Bowser said.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of Wednesday’s collision, but all takeoffs and landings at Ronald Reagan National Airport were suspended until at least 11 a.m. Dive teams searched the site, while law enforcement helicopters from across the region conducted a search for bodies.
Images from the river showed boats surrounding the partially submerged wing and what appeared to be the mangled wreckage of the plane’s fuselage.
28 bodies recovered; all aboard American Airlines jet feared dead
7:47 a.m.:
Authorities reported Thursday that at least 28 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River following the collision of an American Airlines jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington.
Officials stated that the search for additional casualties is ongoing, but they do not anticipate finding any more survivors. This incident, if confirmed, would mark the deadliest air crash in the United States in nearly 24 years.
The plane’s body was discovered upside down and broken into three sections in waist-deep water, while the wreckage of the helicopter was also located.
Daylight reveals glimpses of wreckage
7 a.m.:
FOX 5 images show part of the wreckage as rescue boats search the Potomac River after a plane on approach to Reagan National Airport collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter.
Officials are expected to update the situation at 7:30 a.m.
Aerials of the rescue efforts for the DCA crash
Aerial footage from Sky Fox of the rescue efforts on the Potomac River following the mid air collision of an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter.
Ronald Reagan National Airport not expecting flights to resume until at least 11am
6:30 a.m.:
Officials at Ronald Reagan National Airport say they do not expect flights to resume until at least 11 a.m.
DCA plane crash: Reaction pours out after American Airlines flight collides with military helicopter
