Washington, Jan 30 (EFE).- Investigators on Thursday recovered the black boxes of a enger plane that crashed into Washington DC’s Potomac River after it collided midair with a military helicopter, with all 67 on board both aircraft believed to have been killed.
American Eagle Flight 5342, a regional subsidiary of American Airlines from Wichita, Kansas, was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with 60 engers and four crew on board when it collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter carrying three people at 8.48 pm local time Wednesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday it had “recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the Bombardier CRJ700 airplane involved in yesterday’s mid-air collision at DCA. The recorders are at the NTSB labs for evaluation.”
A handout photo made available by the US Coast Guard shows the wreckage of a US Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with a commercial airplane on Wednesday night in the Potomac River in Washington, DC, USA, 30 January 2025. EFE/EPA/PETTY OFFICER 1ST CLASS BRANDON GILES / US COAST GUARD HANDOUT
The devices are expected to shed light on what happened to cause the collision and the NTSB is to release a preliminary report into the accident within 30 days.
Authorities are looking for the device of the helicopter, which had been operating out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, and was on a training flight.
Rescue now a ‘recovery’ operation
Some 300 emergency units with fire trucks, police cars and ambulances, as well as rescue boats and diving units were deployed in search operations, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said, with personnel “working in very dark and cold conditions.”
Washington Fire and Emergency Services Chief John Donnelly later said in a press conference that the efforts underway on the Potomac River had changed from a “rescue” to a “recovery” operation.
“At this time, we do not believe there are any survivors from this accident. We have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter,” he said.
If confirmed, this would be the worst air crash in the US in nearly 24 years.
At the same press conference, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that authorities had located the wreckage of both aircraft. He said that the American Eagle’s fuselage was upside down and was found in three separate pieces in shallow water.
A handout photo made available by the US Coast Guard shows the wreckage of a commercial airplane (R) that collided with an US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night in the Potomac River in Washington, DC, USA, 30 January 2025. EFE/EPA/PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS TAYLOR BACON / US COAST GUARD HANDOUT
‘Something went wrong’
Duffy said that the plane had been making a normal landing approach and that “something went wrong” because it is normal for military helicopters to share airspace with civilian aircraft in the area.
Weather conditions in Washington at the time of the accident were optimal, with clear skies and no strong winds.
Duffy said that the helicopter was “following a standard flight pattern” and that the plane was also on a normal approach path to the airport, although he acknowledged that something happened to cause the accident, which authorities are now investigating.
At the time of the accident, the water temperature was 4 degrees Celsius, it was pitch black and there was still ice in some areas of the river, complicating rescue efforts.
US media reported that questions were being raised about staffing levels in the air traffic control tower at the time.
engers on board
The Skating Club of Boston released a list of six of its skaters, parents and coaches that were on the plane returning from a national development camp.
Two of those listed were coaches and former Russian world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
“Our sport and this club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy,” the CEO and executive director, Doug Zeghibe, said in a statement on Instagram. “We are devastated and completely at a loss for words.”
China’s embassy in the US said two Chinese citizens were among the victims, according to state media.
“I am deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic plane crash in Washington, DC last night. Our sincere condolences go to the families of the victims and the American people. May all those affected find healing and strength during this difficult time,” China’s ambassador to the US, Xie Feng, wrote on X. EFE
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