Washington DC aircraft crash newest: ‘Experienced’ Black Hawk crew was on coaching flight earlier than collision that left 67 feared useless
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The crew operating the Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines regional jet in Washington, D.C. was “fairly experienced,” according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The deadly crash occurred around 9 p.m. Wednesday when the military helicopter was conducting “a required annual night evaluation,” Hegseth said. Four people were on board the helicopter and 64 people were on board the American Airlines plane.
At least 28 bodies have been found as of Thursday morning.
All 67 people on board both aircraft that crashed down into the Potomac River are feared dead, Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at a briefing.
All flights in and out of Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport were paused until 11 a.m. Thursday. Video footage from the nearby Kennedy Center appears to show the aircraft conjoining in a fireball.
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport,” President Donald Trump said. “May God Bless their souls.”
American Airlines said in a statement: “If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines at 800-679-8215. Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can call 800-679-8215 directly.”
Somber scene at Reagan National Airport, where flights are about to take off once again
Just arrived at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The scene here at Terminal One is somber.
The screens are showing lots of cancelled flights. Investigators from different agencies – NTSB, Homeland Security, cops and airport staff – outnumber passengers here at the moment.
There appears to be an area curtained off that may be where family members are gathered.
Mayor Muriel Bowser is here coordinating.
Kathy Maxemchuk, a 45-year-old architect from San Francisco who was here on business, was trying to navigate her way through press and police to find her 1 p.m. flight.
“It’s been a little disconcerting since getting to the airport and seeing all the press and the police and all of that.
“It definitely makes it more real and obvious. I’m not feeling worried about my flight necessarily, I know it was just a tragic accident.”
Congressman says he landed at Reagan Airport minutes before deadly collision
Rep. Eric Swalwell said he landed at Reagan National Airport mere minutes before the fatal collision.
The California Democrat had flying from Houston, he told KTVU.
Much needs to be done about managing the “crowded airspace” in the nation’s capital, he told the outlet.
“We have to understand whether the congested air traffic in this region was a part of the cause,” the Congressman said. “We also need to understand whether we have enough air travel controllers to deconflict congested areas, and so there’s a lot we have to do.”
Two world champion skaters were lost in flight
Former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among the passengers on the American Airlines flight flying from Wichita, Kansas to D.C..
The club’s CEO Doug Zeghibe gave a press conference Thursday morning.
The duo won the pairs figure skating event at the 1994 World Championship, according to the club’s website.
He said the club previously experienced a plane crash in the 1960s.
‘The helicopter and the plane crashed in the river’: Audio from air traffic control describes disaster
Air traffic control watched in horror on Wednesday night as a passenger jet and a U.S. military helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington and plunged into the nearby Potomac River.
“The accident happened in the river,” a dispatcher said in audio obtained by CBS News. “Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river.”
Eyewitnesses described the crash creating an explosion visible in the night sky.
Read the story.
Hegseth says ‘experienced’ soldiers were on BlackHawk training flight before fatal collision
Speaking about the U.S. Army helicopter, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a video message Thursday: “It was a fairly experienced crew that was doing a required annual night evaluation.”
He continued: “They did have night vision goggles.”
“It’s a tragedy, a horrible loss of life,” Hegseth said, adding that next-of-kin notifications are ongoing.
6 Skating Club of Boston members on board flight that crashed
Six members of the Skating Club of Boston were on board the plane, AP has confirmed.
Two skaters, two coaches, and two parents were on the deadly flight, NBC 10 first reported.
“This will have long reaching impacts for our community,” CEO Doug Zeghibe said, according to the AP.
Loved ones of those onboard flight urged to call help line
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom urged friends and family members of those on board Flight 5342 to call the designated help line: 1-800-679-8215.
“We don’t know why” the helicopter entered the path of the American Airlines flight, he said.
Source: independent.co.uk
