The American Airlines regional jet was on the final approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport., when it collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday claiming the lives of 67 people.
So far, 40 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., as the names of the victims are being released by loved ones and officials.
Two “black boxes” have also been recovered from the wreckage, with a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder taken for lab analysis, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of NTSB, said Thursday: “We’re here to assure the American people that we are going to leave no stone unturned in this investigation.”
Questions have been raised about staffing and safety at the airport’s air traffic control after reports that one controller clocked off early, according to the New York Times.
The newspaper also reported that the helicopter may not have been traveling along its approved flight path.
Airport is closest to the capital
Ronald Reagan National Airport is located less than four miles from the White House. Flying into D.C. over the Potomac River, passengers get a glimpse of the famed Washington monuments from their window.
Flight 5343 was coming in to land on Runway 33 when disaster struck.
Wichita – Washington, D.C., flight only running for a year
The Wichita flight to Reagan National Airport has only been running for a year and politicians fought hard to get it going.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran announced the American Airlines direct flight from Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport to Washington Reagan National Airport would make travel “faster and more affordable” for Kansas residents in July 2023.
According to provisional data from FlightAware, American Eagle Flight 5342 took off from Wichita, Kansas, around 5:22 p.m. CST and was in the air for 2 hours and 35 minutes, with an estimated arrival time in Washington at 8:57 p.m. EST.
But the flight tracking data showed the flight’s status result as “unknown” and according to the visuals, the plane stopped on the east side of the Potomac River, roughly adjacent to the Blue Plains neighborhood in D.C.
Helicopter ‘may not have been on approved flight path’
The Black Hawk helicopter carrying the three soldiers may not have been traveling along its approved flight path, according to the New York Times.
According to sources who spoke to the newspaper, the helicopter was supposed to be flying in a different location and lower to the ground when it crossed Reagan National airspace.
The helicopter was flying too high and outside its approved path, several people with knowledge of the investigation told the Times.
Staffing and safety issues at air traffic control
Months before Wednesday’s deadly aircraft collision, lawmakers were engaged in a fierce debate over safety at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Less than a year ago, several Washington-area lawmakers warned that a bill adding more flights to the airport could pose serious safety concerns. Last spring, a major aviation bill passed by Congress and signed by then-President Joe Biden added five new daily long-haul flights at Reagan National Airport.
The airport is among the busiest in the country and pilots routinely rate it among the nation's most challenging, according to NBC Washington.
The air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport was facing personnel issues on the night of the crash, according to the New York Times. Staffing “was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” according to an internal preliminary Federal Aviation Administration safety report.
The controller who was handling helicopters near the airport “was also instructing planes that were landing and departing from its runways.”
“Those jobs typically are assigned to two controllers, rather than one,” the Times reported. The outlet noted that the tower at the airport had been understaffed for years.
One staff member was reportedly allowed to leave early on the night of the crash, the source told The Times. The specific timings were not immediately clear.
Soldiers aboard Black Hawk helicopter were “experienced”
The helicopter crew was “very experienced” and were not unfamiliar with the aircraft or the congestion that occurs in the airspace around D.C.
“Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn't something new to either one of them," Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation said. “Even the crew chief in the back has been in the unit for a very long time, very familiar with the area, very familiar with the routing structure.”
NTSB officials said it was “too soon to tell,” exactly what was the fault of the collision.
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One of the soldiers has been named as Ryan O’Hara, the Crew Chief and father-of-one from Georgia.
“Ryan is fondly remembered as a guy who would fix things around the ROTC gym as well as a vital member of the Rifle Team. Ryan leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old son,” Parkview High School JROTC in Atlanta wrote in a Facebook post which has since been removed, WSB-TV Atlanta reported.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves was also on the army helicopter, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said on X.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Eaves’ wife, Carrie Eaves said: "We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today. We ask for peace while we grieve," the post read. "These families' children do not need to suffer more pain.”
Divers search day and night in difficult conditions
A fleet of divers combed the Potomac River in search of survivors Wednesday night and continued Thursday morning.
So far, 40 bodies have been recovered.
“The challenges are access. The water that we’re operating in is about 8 feet deep,” District of Columbia Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said on Wednesday night. “There is wind, there is pieces of ice out there. So it’s just dangerous and hard to work in.”
He continued: “And because there’s not a lot of lights, you’re out there searching every square inch of space to see if you can find anybody.
“Divers are doing the same thing in the water. The water is dark, it is murky, and that is a very tough condition for them to dive in.”
Authorities said they were “confident” all of the bodies would be recovered but it would “take time.”
