'No survivors' after US passenger jet and military helicopter collide in Washington
- 64 people were aboard passenger jet, airline saysÂ
- Bodies of 27 passengers from the jet and one from helicopter recovered
- "We donât believe there are any survivors," says Washington fire chiefÂ
- US army says three soldiers were on military helicopterÂ
- Passengers included US and Russian figure skaters
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At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington DC, officials said on Thursday.
Crews were still searching for other casualties but did not believe there were any other survivors, which would make it the deadliest US air crash in nearly 24 years.
âWe are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,â said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the US capital. âWe donât believe there are any survivors.âÂ
The wreckage of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found.
âThis morning we all share a profound sense of grief,â District of Columbia mayor Muriel Bowser said.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the Wednesday collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita, Kansas, with US and Russian figure skaters and others aboard, was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.
âOn final approach into Reagan National it collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach,â American Airlines chief executive Robert Isom said. âAt this time we donât know why the military aircraft came into the path of the ⊠aircraft.âÂ
Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter during a training flight, an Army official said. The Pentagon said it was launching an investigation.
Images from the river showed boats around the partly submerged wing and what appeared to be the mangled wreckage of the planeâs fuselage.
US senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, from where the flight was travelling, suggested most if not all those on board had been killed.
"It's really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously," he told a press conference at Reagan airport in the US capital early on Thursday.
"When one person dies, it's a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it's an unbearable sorrow. It's a heartbreak beyond measure."
US president Donald Trump said in a statement that he has been "fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport."
"May God bless their souls," he added. "Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise."
On social media, Mr Trump said the crash âshould have been preventedâ.
âWhy didnât the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented,â he wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding: âNOT GOOD!!!â
Air traffic control recordings appear to capture the final attempted communications with the helicopter, call sign PAT25, before it collides with the plane, described as CRJ.
"PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ," an air traffic controller says at 8.47pm 1.47am Irish-time), according to a recording on liveatc.net.
Seconds later, another aircraft calls in to air traffic control, saying, "Tower, did you see that?" - apparently referring to the crash. An air traffic controller then redirects planes heading to runway 33 to go around.
Webcam video of the crash showed the collision and an explosion lighting up the night sky.
"I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven't seen anything since they hit the river," an air traffic controller was heard saying over the radio.
Relatives gathered at the airport said they were receiving little official information. One man wept as he stood on the sidewalk at 3 a.m. outside the airport.
The plane carried a number of US ice skaters, family members and coaches returning from a camp following figure skating championships in Wichita, governing body US Figure Skating said.
Among those on board were Russian former figure skating world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, Russian state media reported. The Kremlin offered condolences to the families of Russians killed, and said there were no plans for contacts for now between President Vladimir Putin and Trump.
Washington DC fire chief John Donnelly said at least 300 first responders were continuing to work on the "highly complex" rescue operation.
"Conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders," Donnelly said. "It's cold. They're dealing with windy conditions."
Asked whether there were any survivors, he said: "We don't know yet."
Hypothermia is a concern for any possible survivors and first responders.
"At these frigid water temperatures, the human bodyâs core temperature quickly drops. Exhaustion or unconsciousness can occur in as little as 15 to 30 minutes," AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin said.
Airports authority CEO Potter said the airport would remain closed until at least 11am on Thursday.
Reagan National is located along the Potomac River, just southwest of the city.Â
It is a popular choice because it is much closer than the larger Dulles International Airport, which is deeper in Virginia.
Depending on the runway being used, flights into Reagan can offer passengers spectacular views of landmarks like the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall and the US Capitol.Â
It is a postcard-worthy welcome for tourists visiting the city.
The incident recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plummeted into the Potomac on January 13 1982, that killed 78 people. That crash was attributed to bad weather.
The last deadly major crash involving a commercial airliner in the US was in 2009, when all 49 people aboard a Colgan Air flight died when the plane crashed in New York state. One person was also killed on the ground.
A series of near-miss incidents in recent years has raised safety concerns.
American Airlines Flight 5342 was operated by PSA Airlines, American's Ohio-based regional subsidiary, the FAA said.
"We're cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can," American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said.
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