Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly stated that they have now switched from rescue to a recovery operation, confirming that there are likely no survivors after a passenger jet carrying 64 people collided mid-air with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy waters of Washington’s Potomac River.
U.S. official confirmed this during a news conference at Reagan National Airport on Thursday.
He said, “We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors.” He added that 28 bodies had been recovered, including one from the helicopter.
Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly also stated, “These responders faced extremely frigid conditions, heavy winds, and ice on the water, and they operated all night in those conditions.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also mentioned that the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Transport officials noted that both aircraft were following standard flight patterns on a clear night with good visibility.
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He said, “Do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.” Dramatic audio recordings from air traffic control revealed repeated instructions for the helicopter to confirm whether it had the passenger jet “in sight.”
Moments before the collision, controllers instructed the helicopter to “pass behind” the plane.
“I just saw a fireball, and it was gone,” an air traffic controller was heard saying after communication with the helicopter was lost.
Both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River. The passenger jet’s fuselage was inverted and shattered into three sections.
U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that several athletes, coaches, and officials were aboard the ill-fated flight.
Russian officials later identified two passengers as Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, a married couple who won the 1994 world pairs title.
The Bombardier aircraft, operated by an American Airlines subsidiary, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. It was approaching Reagan National Airport around 9:00 p.m. (0200 GMT) after departing from Wichita, Kansas.
Meanwhile, U.S. Army officials disclosed that the involved helicopter was a Black Hawk carrying three soldiers on a “training flight.”
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