Investigators are seeking clues into this week's deadly midair collision this week, the deadliest aviation disaster in the United States in almost a quarter century.
The collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, late Wednesday killed 67 people, including more than a dozen figure skaters. More than 40 bodies have been recovered.
Air crash investigations can take months—or longer. Investigators have declined to publicly speculate on the cause of the collision.
At Least 1 Air Traffic Controller Working During Crash Has Been Interviewed: Investigators
At least one air traffic controller who was working at the time of the crash has been interviewed by investigators, National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said.He said interviews are ongoing and it was unclear how many controllers were working at the time.
“Air traffic control interviews are critical,” he said. “That’s the reason why there’s a process in place that began immediately after the accident.”
Helicopter’s Black Box Appears Undamaged, NTSB Says
The plane had two recorders. One, a flight data recorder, was in good condition. It was opened Friday, and its information is expected to be downloaded shortly, National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said.Water had gotten inside the cockpit voice recorder, however. While that’s not unusual, it adds to investigators’ work to download the data.
Helicopter and Plane’s Flight Data Recorders Being Reviewed, Investigators Say
The black box from the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with a commercial jetliner in Washington has been recovered, investigators say.Victims’ Family Members Are Getting Assistance, NTSB Member says
National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said he spent the past several hours with the victims’ families.“They are one of our primary concerns, along with making sure we get factual information out,” he said.
Helicopters Restricted Near Airport, With Some Exceptions
The area over the Potomac River and near Reagan National is now off-limits to most helicopters to ensure safety in the aftermath of the crash, the FAA said.Exceptions include aircraft for medical emergencies, active law enforcement and air defense. Marine One, the presidential helicopter, is also exempt.
Operations Remain Disrupted at Ronald Reagan National Airport
Two of the three main runways at the airport remain closed because of the crash and recovery effort.Terry Liercke, vice president and manager at Reagan National Airport, said 100 flights were cancelled Friday.
Army Releases Names of 2 Soldiers Who Died in Midair Collision
The Army has released the names of two soldiers who died when their Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet earlier this week.At the family’s request, the name of the third crew member killed in the crash is not being released at this time, the Army said.
The remains of Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, the crew chief, have been recovered and a positive identification is pending, the Army said.
The remains of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves of Great Mills, Maryland, and of the third soldier have not yet been recovered.
The 39-year-old Eaves, one of the pilots on the helicopter, served in the U.S. Navy from August 2007 to September 2017, then moved to the Army, to serve as a Black Hawk pilot.
His awards include three Army commendation medals and three Navy achievement medals, as well as a Global War on Terrorism medal.
Airport Open But Some Restrictions Remain
Two out of the three runways at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are closed.That is according to Terry Liercke, vice president and airport manager.
He encouraged passengers to reach out to airlines for flight delays. Some 100 flights were canceled Friday, two days after the deadly collision.
He said he expects the runways to be closed for a week, but that the situation was “fluid.”
Remains of 41 Bodies Recovered; 28 Positively ID'd So Far
Fire Chief John Donnelly Sr. said crews have recovered 41 bodies and 28 of them have been positively identified.He said next of kin notifications have been made to 18 families.
FAA Indefinitely Closes Routes Near DC-Area Airport to Most Helicopter Traffic
The Federal Aviation Administration is significantly restricting helicopter traffic in the immediate vicinity of Washington Reagan National Airport.That is according to an official briefed on the matter.
Wednesday’s collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial jet killed 67 people.
Some of the airspace has already been restricted due to ongoing search and recovery efforts over the crash site. Now, the agency responsible for air traffic control is indefinitely barring most helicopters from using the low-to-the-ground routes that run under or parallel to the airport’s flight paths.
Personal Items Found in Potomac Turned Over to FBI
A riverkeeper who routinely patrols the Potomac for the environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance got permission Thursday to take his motorboat to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, about two miles down from the crash site.Dean Naujoks said he found that floating debris from the passenger plane had been pushed by the wind and current into a pair of shallow coves along the Maryland shore.
Naujoks recovered a piece of the interior wall from the passenger cabin that had surrounded a window, pages from a flight manual, a woman’s sweater and what appeared to be the cushion from a pilot’s seat. He turned over the items to the FBI.
More Than 40 Bodies Recovered
More than 40 bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River as a massive recovery effort continues following the deadliest aviation disaster in a generation, a law enforcement official told Associated Press.Trump Says Army Black Hawk Was flying Too High at Time of Midair Crash
“It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???” Trump added in a Friday morning post on his Truth Social platform.The maximum altitude where the Black Hawk was at the time of the crash—along a published corridor called Route 4—was 200 feet above ground, according to Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation.
Hegseth Stresses Importance of US Military’s ‘Continuity’ Training
The three-person Army crew on the UH-60 Blackhawk was conducting a continuity of government planning training mission at the time of the midair crash.Military aircraft frequently conduct such training flights in and around the nation’s capital for familiarization with routes they would fly in case of a major catastrophe or an attack on the U.S. that would require relocation of key officials from the capital region.
“You need to train as you fight, you need to rehearse in ways that would reflect a real world scenario,” Hegseth said during a Friday morning appearance on Fox and Friends.
Hegseth Says Helicopter Black Box Still Not Recovered
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says investigators have not yet recovered a key recording device from the Army helicopter involved in Wednesday’s fatal collision at Ronald Reagan National Airport.Cockpit Voice and Flight Data Recorders Have Been Recovered
“NTSB investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the Bombardier CRJ700 airplane involved in yesterday’s midair collision at DCA,” National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Peter Knudson said. “The recorders are at the NTSB labs for evaluation.”Pilots Union: Accident Investigators Working with NTSB
Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association said the union’s accident investigation team was on the scene working with the National Transportation Safety Board, and its Critical Incident Response Program was working to support union members and the families involved in the collision.“We mourn the loss of our friends, colleagues, and members of our ALPA and Association of Flight Attendants union family,” he said.
Ambrosi reiterated in a statement what the NTSB has said—the investigation must have the time to do its work.
“A lot of details and speculation will come out in response to this tragedy, but we must remember to let the investigation run its course,” he said.