The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that barges are en route from Virginia Beach to assist in the largest salvage operation yet following the tragic collision between a passenger plane and Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C.
During a media briefing Friday, NTSB officials emphasized the complexity of the recovery efforts, confirming that the Navy Supervisor of Salvage (SUP) is leading the operation.
Upon arrival early tomorrow morning, the barges will be secured, and major lifting operations will commence to recover wreckage and any additional victims. The recovery is being carried out in coordination with the D.C. Medical Examiner's Office to ensure that victims are identified and returned to their families as swiftly as possible.
The NTSB revealed that two distinct debris fields have been mapped—one containing the Sikorsky helicopter, which is relatively smaller, and another for the larger CRJ700 aircraft. Encouragingly, the initial assessment suggests that large portions of the wreckage remain intact, which will aid investigators in analyzing crashworthiness, airworthiness and human factors involved in the accident.
"This will help in our post-accident analysis of how the machine actually reacted to the incident," an NTSB official stated, adding that the debris will be transported to a secured facility in the D.C. area for further examination.
The salvage operation remains ongoing as investigators work to piece together the cause of the fatal midair collision, which claimed 67 lives Wednesday.
Originally published on Latin Times
