A collision between a regional passenger jet and am Army Blackhawk helicopter sent both aircrafts into the icy Potomac River, and there are no known survivors.
A massive response of federal, military, regional and local agencies have been searching the water since Wednesday night. Unfortunately, they have been unable to rescue any survivors, and as of Thursday morning, the effort shifted from rescue to recovery. DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, “We don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident.”
The regional jet, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700, was traveling from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers and 4 crewmembers on board as it made its final descent into Reagan Washington National Airport just before 9 p.m. It was flying for American Airlines, on a standard flight pattern, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. That’s when a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter, an Army Blackhawk, entered its flight space on what Duffy also called a “standard pattern”. He noted it was a clear night.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said, “At this time we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the flight path.” Three soldiers were aboard.
After the crash, emergency crews launched an escalated response that ultimately included about 300 emergency responders. Donnelly said fire and rescue boats from multiple agencies responded to the water in “extremely frigid conditions, heavy wind, ice on the water, and operated all night in those conditions.” The wreckage from both aircraft was found in the Potomac River.
Duffy says the fuselage of the passenger plane was inverted and found in three different sections in about waist-deep water. The wind complicated the search, Donnelly said.
“It’s a lot of ‘touch and feel’ in different parts of the plane and helicopter,” he explained. The debris field is large, since the wind picked up and carried debris as far downriver as the Wilson Bridge. While he said the first responders have been worked in heartbreaking conditions, they have strong mutual aid. Fire departments from as far as Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties in Maryland, and Prince William and Fairfax counties in Virginia, along with Baltimore City Police, Maryland Natural Resources Police, the Department of Defense, The U.S. Park Police, the Coast Guard, FBI, and several others have all been working at the scene.
Transportation Secretary Duffy said, “We are working to get the best results for the American people,” but it became clear that the most the crews may be able to do now is to recover bodies so that they may be united with their loved ones. A medical examiner team is working to identify the victims and give answers to the families.
At least 27 victims’ bodies have been recovered, and that number is expected to grow as the medical examiner receives them.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said, “I want to thank the first responders who acted quicky last night, who ran towards danger and went into a very frigid river and have worked throughout the night.”
The Coast Guard has established a safety zone securing all vessel traffic from the Wilson Bridge north along the Potomac River and boaters are asked to avoid the area. USCG pollution crews are at the scene ready to respond to any pollution caused by the crash. The Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving will coordinate removing the wreckage and restoring the waterway.
The NTSB is leading the investigation into the crash and has launched a “go-team” to the scene. The safety board is expected to give further updates later today.
Reagan National Airport was shut down all night and into the morning during the investigation. It was expected to reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday.