The midair collision between a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter and American Airlines Flight 5342 has turned from a rescue mission to a recovery mission.
American Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas was in the process of landing at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when the Blackhawk helicopter collided with it and both aircrafts went crashing into the Potomac River just before 9 p.m. on Wednesday night.
There were four crewmembers and 60 passengers aboard Flight 5342 and 3 soldiers aboard the Blackhawk. It is confirmed there are no survivors. As of 8 a.m. Thursday, 28 of the 67 bodies have been recovered from the frigid waters of the Potomac.
Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy believes the accident was “absolutely” preventable and said, “There was communication between the aircraft and the tower…I would say that the helicopter was aware that the plane was in the area…This was a clear night last night; the helicopter was in the standard pattern. If you live in the DC area, you will see helicopters up and down the river.” Duffy also said, “The American Airlines flight coming in to land was in a standard flight pattern as it was coming into DCA, so this was not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at DCA.”
Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth said the crash was a “horrible loss of life.” Hegseth said, “It was a fairly experienced crew that was doing a required annual night evaluation.”
The crash is under investigation and the recovery operation is still ongoing.
By - FZ
Comments