Nineteen bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River following the midair collision between an American Airlines passenger plane and a US Army helicopter near Washington DC. Authorities believe more bodies may be trapped in the wreckage submerged in the river.
On Thursday, the American Airlines flight, operated by PSA Airlines, was en route from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington with 60 passengers and four crew members on board when it crashed while approaching Reagan National Airport.
A US Army official confirmed that one of its helicopters, which was on a training flight with three soldiers on board, was involved in the collision. Their status remains unknown.
The crash occurred in one of the most tightly controlled airspaces in the world, approximately five kilometres south of the White House and the Capitol. A video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Centre captured the moment of impact, showing the aircraft turning into a fireball.
US President Donald Trump addressed the incident on social media, stating that the passenger plane was in working order and placing blame on the US Army helicopter.
He questioned why the helicopter did not take evasive action and criticised air traffic control for not directing it away.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn? Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane?” he posted on Truth Social.
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
Flight data indicates that the passenger aircraft was at an altitude of about 400 feet and travelling at approximately 140 miles per hour when it rapidly lost altitude over the river.
Audio recordings from the air traffic control tower captured a controller asking the helicopter, “PAT25 do you have the CRJ in sight?” Seconds later, another pilot was heard calling, “Tower, did you see that?” according to a news agency.
In response, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has launched an investigation, and the National Transportation Safety Board is gathering further information on the incident. All takeoffs and landings at Reagan National Airport have been suspended.
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