Washington DC plane crash: Plane crashes into Potomac River after midair collision with Black Hawk helicopter

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Plane crashes into Potomac River after midair collision with Black Hawk helicopter

Search and rescue efforts were underway in the Potomac River after a passenger jet carrying 64 people collided with a Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers Wednesday night while trying to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, D.C.

A police official at the scene told CBS News there were three debris fields in the water and that at least 18 bodies had been recovered as of 11:30 p.m. ET. The official said no survivors had been found so far.

All flights at the airport were grounded for the night.

"A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The plane, operated by American Airlines, had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, the FAA said.

The plane, American Eagle Flight No. 5342, was carrying 60 passengers and four crewmembers, CBS News learned. PSA Airlines and American Eagle are subsidiaries of American Airlines.

In a statement provided to CBS News, American Airlines said that it was "aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been involved in an incident."

Multiple sources and an Army official told CBS News that an Army Black Hawk was involved in the collision. The Army later confirmed the chopper was based out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Heather Chairez, a spokesperson for the Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region, told CBS News the helicopter was on a training flight. Chairez said the chopper belonged to the B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion. A Defense Department official told CBS News that three soldiers were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter, with no senior officials on board.

"The accident happened in the river," a dispatcher said in scanner audio obtained from air traffic control. "Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking on Fox News, said that President Trump had "been made aware of the situation."

Mr. Trump later said in a statement he had been "fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. 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."

A livestream camera at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., captured the moment of the collision. The video, which has been verified by CBS News, shows an explosion in the area of the Potomac River at 8:47 p.m.

The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department reported in a social media post that a small aircraft crashed in the Potomac River in the "vicinity" of the airport.

The FBI told CBS News that as of now, the incident was not being treated as a criminal event.

The D.C. Police Department said in a statement that multiple agencies were "coordinating a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River."

The airport also said in a post on X that all takeoffs and landings at DCA had been halted.

"Emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open," the airport said.

The Metropolitan Police Department said on social media it was assisting in the response.

The U.S. Park Police aviation unit was conducting search and rescue operations for the incident, the agency said.

Newly-confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on social media that the Pentagon was "actively monitoring" the situation and "poised to assist if needed."

The last major U.S. crash occurred in February 2009, when a United Airlines flight out of Newark, New Jersey, operated by Colgan Air crashed into a house as it was approaching the airport in Buffalo, New York. The crashed plane was a Bombardier Q400. Forty-nine people died in the tragedy.

SOURCE: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/crash-reagan-national-airport-washington-dc/
 
Plane crashes into Potomac River after midair collision with Black Hawk helicopter

Search and rescue efforts were underway in the Potomac River after a passenger jet carrying 64 people collided with a Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers Wednesday night while trying to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, D.C.

A police official at the scene told CBS News there were three debris fields in the water and that at least 18 bodies had been recovered as of 11:30 p.m. ET. The official said no survivors had been found so far.

All flights at the airport were grounded for the night.

"A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The plane, operated by American Airlines, had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, the FAA said.

The plane, American Eagle Flight No. 5342, was carrying 60 passengers and four crewmembers, CBS News learned. PSA Airlines and American Eagle are subsidiaries of American Airlines.

In a statement provided to CBS News, American Airlines said that it was "aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been involved in an incident."

Multiple sources and an Army official told CBS News that an Army Black Hawk was involved in the collision. The Army later confirmed the chopper was based out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Heather Chairez, a spokesperson for the Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region, told CBS News the helicopter was on a training flight. Chairez said the chopper belonged to the B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion. A Defense Department official told CBS News that three soldiers were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter, with no senior officials on board.

"The accident happened in the river," a dispatcher said in scanner audio obtained from air traffic control. "Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking on Fox News, said that President Trump had "been made aware of the situation."

Mr. Trump later said in a statement he had been "fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. 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."

A livestream camera at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., captured the moment of the collision. The video, which has been verified by CBS News, shows an explosion in the area of the Potomac River at 8:47 p.m.

The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department reported in a social media post that a small aircraft crashed in the Potomac River in the "vicinity" of the airport.

The FBI told CBS News that as of now, the incident was not being treated as a criminal event.

The D.C. Police Department said in a statement that multiple agencies were "coordinating a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River."

The airport also said in a post on X that all takeoffs and landings at DCA had been halted.

"Emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open," the airport said.

The Metropolitan Police Department said on social media it was assisting in the response.

The U.S. Park Police aviation unit was conducting search and rescue operations for the incident, the agency said.

Newly-confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on social media that the Pentagon was "actively monitoring" the situation and "poised to assist if needed."

The last major U.S. crash occurred in February 2009, when a United Airlines flight out of Newark, New Jersey, operated by Colgan Air crashed into a house as it was approaching the airport in Buffalo, New York. The crashed plane was a Bombardier Q400. Forty-nine people died in the tragedy.

SOURCE: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/crash-reagan-national-airport-washington-dc/
More than 30 bodies recovered

More than 30 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River, two sources familiar with the rescue operation have told NBC Washington.

A multi-agency effort is continuing through the night in Washington DC despite challenging conditions, the news site adds.

Earlier, officials confirmed there were 64 people on board the flight, with another three in the helicopter.

Sky News
 

American figure skaters were on plane that crashed​


Members of the United States figure skating community were on board an aeroplane that crashed near Washington DC, the country's governing organisation for the sport says.

A passenger plane carrying 64 passengers and crew crashed into a river in the capital after a mid-air collision with a US Army helicopter.

A police official at the scene told the BBC's broadcast partner CBS News that 19 bodies had been pulled from the water.

DC Fire and EMS chief John Donnelly said "we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident".

US Figure Skating said athletes, coaches and family members were on the plane that crashed.

"These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas," the organisation said.

"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."

The US Figure Skating Championships finished on 26 January, and many competitors remained in Wichita afterwards for a training camp.

The International Skating Union said: "We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board.

"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport - it's a close-knit family - and we stand together. We remain in close contact with US Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time."

Russian news agency Tass reported that two of the people on board the American Airlines flight were former figure skaters Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova.

The couple, who married in 1995 and live in Connecticut, won the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships pairs.

Legendary Soviet Union figure skater Inna Volyanskaya was also named by Tass as one of the passengers on the flight.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, confirmed the reports that former Russian figure skaters were on board but did not specify names.

About 300 responders in rubber boats have been deployed to search for survivors, said Washington DC Fire and Emergency Services chief John Donnelly.

"The challenge is access, there is wind and pieces of ice [in the water]. It is dangerous and hard to work in," he said.

A minute's silence was held before the ISU Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia on Thursday as a mark of respect for those involved in the crash.

 
'No survivors' expected at crash site, with 27 bodies recovered from plane and 1 from helicopter

DC fire and EMS chief John A Donnelly speaks next. He said the crash alert was sounded at 8.48pm last night.

First responders found, he said, “extremely frigid conditions. They found heavy wind. They found ice on the water, and they’ve operated all night in those conditions.”

He is thanking a lengthy list of various agencies and departments who came to assist the operation.

He says: “we don’t believe there are any survivors” and that 27 bodies have been recovered from the plane, and one from the helicopter.

The Guardian
 
The heli rammed into the plane. On a clear night. With sufficient warning.

Picked up speed in the last few seconds.

Something's amiss.
 

Husband shares haunting final texts with wife minutes before American Airlines flight 5342 crash​


A man whose wife was a passenger on the ill-fated American Airlines Flight 5342 has shared the heartbreaking final messages he sent her before the tragic crash.

Hamaad Raza revealed that his 26-year-old wife was on board the flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, which collided with a military helicopter shortly before 9 p.m. on Wednesday night.

Emergency responders are conducting search operations in the Potomac River near the airport following the accident.

"I'm just praying that somebody's pulling her out of the river right now, as we speak. That's all I can pray for, I'm just praying to God," Raza told WUSA9.

According to Raza, the plane was close to landing when his wife regained reception and was able to send him a text just moments before the crash.

He then shared his messages with a reporter, who later described the exchange as "one of the most heartbreaking interviews of my professional career."

"She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes. The rest of my texts didn't get delivered and that's when I realized that something might be up," he said.

Raza explained that his wife had been traveling to Wichita for work but had always felt uneasy about flying.

He and a family member anxiously paced through Terminal 2 at Reagan Airport, awaiting any updates on the situation.

The airline confirmed that Flight 5342 was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members when the collision occurred.

According to NBC Washington, rescue teams have pulled at least four people from the water, and dive crews are currently surveying the crash site.

Reports indicate that the aircraft broke apart upon impact and is now submerged in approximately seven feet of water, while the helicopter is upside down and unstable.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ700, collided with a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Runway 33.

Defense officials stated that the Black Hawk belonged to the Army and was carrying three soldiers on a training mission at the time of the crash.

Sources within law enforcement informed CNN that there are confirmed fatalities and that no survivors have been rescued so far.

Meanwhile, CBS reported that 18 bodies have been recovered, and divers are currently searching three separate debris fields.

Source: The Express Tribune
 
US and Russian figure skaters were on board crashed plane

A pair of 16-year-old skaters, their mothers, and two Russian coaches were among the passengers on board an aeroplane that hit a helicopter above Washington DC on Wednesday evening, the group's club in Boston says.

They were named as teenagers Spencer Lane and Jinna Hahn, their mothers Christine Lane and Jin Hahn, and their Russian coaches Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov - who are former world-champion skaters.

US officials say they do not expect any survivors from the crash, and that at least 28 bodies have been recovered from scene.

The plane was carrying 64 passengers and crew when it collided in mid-air with a US Army helicopter just after 21:00 local time on Wednesday (02:00 GMT).

It then fell into the ice-cold Potomac River.

As many as 15 people on the flight may have been involved in figure skating in total, an unnamed source told the Reuters news agency.

"Several" athletes, coaches and family members involved with US Figure Skating were on the flight, the sport's US governing body said. It is yet to give more names.

Giving details of the club's victims, the CEO of the Figure Skating Club of Boston, Doug Zeghibe, told reporters: "Six is a horrific number for us." He went on to say: "This will have long, reaching impacts for our skating community."

Earlier on Thursday, Russia confirmed that some of its citizens had been on the plane, after Russia media reported the names of Naumov and Shishkova.

In its own statement, US Figure Skating said "several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342". The group were returning home from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, the statement added.

Wichita hosted the US National Figure Skating championships from 20 January to 26 January. Following the competition, there was a development camp for young skaters.

Shishkova and Naumov are retired Russian pairs skaters who won the world championships in 1994. They also competed at the Olympics, and later went on to begin their coaching career in the US.

Inna Volyanskaya, a former skater for the Soviet Union, was also on board the flight, according to Russian news agency Tass.


 
Tragic incident.

The helicopter operator seemed to be at fault. He was operating the helicopter like a blind person.
 
Black boxes found as officials examine staffing shortage in DC plane crash

The black boxes for a commercial flight that crashed into a military helicopter in Washington DC have been located, as questions mount about staffing and other close calls at the airport where the plane was landing.

Normally two people manage air traffic control for helicopters and airplanes flying in the area - one of the most controlled airspaces in the world - but only one person was doing so on Wednesday at the time of the crash, according to sources cited by the BBC's US partner CBS News.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the incident that killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said a preliminary report will be issued in 30 days.

The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, known as the black boxes, can help offer clues to investigators about what may have gone wrong on the flight.

The boxes will be transported to the NTSB lab, nearby the site of the crash, and analysed, according to CBS.

The air traffic control staffing numbers, first reported by the New York Times, was noted as "not normal", according to a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report.

The federal government has struggled for years to fill certain key positions at the FAA.

The type of staffing that had one air traffic control worker managing both the helicopters and planes at the Regan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night is reportedly not uncommon and did not breach guidelines.

Divers spent most of Thursday swimming through the icy waters of the Potomac River, searching for the bodies of victims.

The search was suspended on Thursday evening due to dangerous conditions.

There were 64 passengers aboard the American Airlines flight that collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was on a training mission flight. Three soldiers were on board.

Teams have so far recovered 27 bodies from the plane and one from the helicopter.

At a White House briefing on Thursday, President Donald Trump began with a moment of silence and a prayer for victims.

He said "we can only begin to imagine the agony that you're all feeling", adding, "our hearts are shattered alongside yours".

Trump speculated on the cause of the collision, suggesting without evidence that lower hiring standards for air traffic controllers in the FAA under previous administrations run by Democrats may have been a factor.

Later on Thursday, he signed a memorandum to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices in the aviation sector.

DEI programmes aim to promote participation in workplaces by people from a range of backgrounds. Backers say they address historical or ongoing discrimination and underrepresentation but critics argue they can themselves be discriminatory.

Trump also signed an executive order to appoint a new head of the FAA.

The fatal incident happened at about 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, when a PSA Airlines jet operating as American Airlines 5342 collided mid-air with a US Army helicopter as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Both aircraft careened into the Potomac River. The passenger plane broke into multiple pieces and sank several feet into the water, while the helicopter ended up upside down in the river.

The plane, a Bombardier CRJ700, had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was carrying dozens of passengers, including a pair of young figure skaters, their mothers, and two Russian coaches.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted in Russia media saying: "There were other of our fellow citizens on board. It's bad news today from Washington.

"We are sorry and send our condolences to families and friends."

On Friday, China confirmed two of its nationals died in the crash and expressed "deep condolences".

China urged the US "to promptly update it on the progress of the search and rescue operations, swiftly clarify the cause of the accident and properly handle follow-up matters", a spokesperson for Beijing's foreign ministry said.

The helicopter was a Sikorsky H-60 that took off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia with three soldiers on board, and belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion.

"It's a tragedy, a horrible loss of life for those 64 souls on that civilian airliner, and of course the three soldiers in that Black Hawk [helicopter]," said new defence secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday.

BBC
 
'Gross error' if helicopter was flying at 400ft

We've just brought you some more reaction from Donald Trump, who said the helicopter was "far above the 200ft limit" (see our 1.20pm post).

Paul Kennard, who was an RAF pilot for 23 years, told Sky News presenter Leah Boleto that it would be a "gross error" if the helicopter was flying at 400ft.

"If it's at 250ft, that really isn't going to make that much difference," he said.

"If, however, it's up at 400 or 500ft, then that's a gross error."

Kennard goes on to explain there are a "number of reasons" those in the helicopter could have lost situational awareness.

"Lessons will be learned," he added.

"We will continue to fly into Reagan airport, military helicopters will continue to fly around Washington because they have to in order to discharge their duties.

"What you may see is a tailoring of those routes, you may see a little more positive control of aircraft."

Sky News
 

Authorities recover 41 bodies after mid-air collision​


Authorities have recovered 40 bodies after a plane crash in Washington DC.

Sixty-seven people were killed when an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter collided mid-air on Wednesday night.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after colliding. Some 300 personnel rushed to the scene, but the rescue soon turned into a recovery mission as officials said there were no survivors.

DC's fire department confirmed on Friday that 41 bodies have been recovered.

Meanwhile, amid questions over how well the airport's control tower was staffed on the night of the crash, it's been confirmed that an air traffic control supervisor had let a controller leave their shift early.

The detail, first reported by the New York Times, has been confirmed to Sky News' US partner NBC News by a source familiar with the investigation.

It means a single controller was handling both plane and helicopter traffic in the area when the two aircraft collided.

It is allowable - but not optimal - for one controller to do both jobs, NBC News reported.

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, shortly before 9pm local time on Wednesday.

Flight 5342 was preparing to land on runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with the helicopter in one of the most tightly controlled airspaces in the world.

'Hug your loved ones,' says man whose wife died in crash

A man whose wife was on the flight has recalled how he saw emergency services "speeding past" as he was waiting at the airport to pick her up.

Hamaad Raza told NBC News his wife of two years, Asra, had "texted me [and] said, 'We're landing in 20 minutes'".

"I was waiting and I started seeing a bunch of EMS vehicles speeding past me… way too many, [more] than normal and my texts weren't going through."

"It's crazy that it happened to us," he said. "You see these things happen in the news, you see them happen in other countries and then I show up to the airport and my wife's not responding. I look on Twitter and I see that it's her flight."

As he faces an agonising wait while the recovery mission continues, Mr Raza said the thing he would like people to understand is: "Life is short, hug your loved ones, tell them you love them. When they're getting on a flight, check up on them. Text your family when you land."

Donald Trump has linked a diversity drive at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under previous governments to the crash.

It has since been said there is no evidence to support the US president's claim.

Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Mr Trump suggested the diversity efforts had made air travel less safe.

He said: "We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas."

While Mr Trump's claim appears to have been debunked, there are questions over staffing at Reagan Washington National Airport.

NBC News reported staffing in the air traffic control tower was "not normal", according to an initial FAA report.

The tower normally has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic - but at the time of the crash, a source said, one controller was overseeing both plane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control as well as certification of personnel and aircraft, is without a permanent administrator. Its former boss Michael Whitaker stepped down on 20 January - the day of Mr Trump's inauguration.

Mr Trump has appointed an acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, in the wake of the crash.

Mr Whitaker had clashed with Mr Trump's confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket launches during his tenure at the FAA.

Since starting as head of the administration in October 2023, he was also forced to respond to Boeing's safety and quality problems, and worked to hire more air traffic controllers due to a shortage of staff.

At his briefing, Mr Trump blamed former president Joe Biden for lowering standards for air traffic controllers.

"We have to have our smartest people," he said. "They have to be naturally talented geniuses."

Mr Trump added: "The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency's website."

The American Association of People with Disabilities responded to these claims, saying in a statement on X: "FAA employees with disabilities did not cause [the] tragic plane crash.

"The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is extremely inappropriate for the president to use this tragedy to push an anti-diversity hiring agenda. Doing so makes all Americans less safe."

Mr Trump also criticised former president Barack Obama for putting "policy over safety" when it came to US aviation.

"I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary," he said.

Mr Trump said after being sworn in last week, he signed an executive order which "restored the highest standards of air traffic controllers".

"When I left office and Biden took over he changed them [standards for those who work in aviation system] back to lower than ever before, I put safety first, Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first, they put politics at a level that nobody's ever seen because this was the lowest level," he said.

At a later briefing, he was asked if gender or race played a role. He answered: "It may have, I don't know. Incompetence may have played a role."

US transport secretary plans FAA overhaul

Transportation secretary Sean Duffy has said he is working on a plan to reform the FAA .

"I am in the process of developing an initial plan to fix the @FAANews. I hope to put it out very shortly," he said on X.

Mr Trump's nominee to lead the US Army, Daniel Driscoll, said at a Senate confirmation hearing that training exercises near an airport like the Washington National Airport may not be appropriate.

Wednesday's crash was the deadliest in the US since November 2001, when an American Airlines flight hit a residential area of Belle Harbor, New York, just after take-off from Kennedy Airport, killing all 260 people aboard.

The last major fatal crash involving a US commercial airline occurred in 2009 near Buffalo, New York, when 50 people were killed.

The Pentagon and US army are investigating Wednesday's collision, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on X.

 
Tragic incident.

The helicopter operator seemed to be at fault. He was operating the helicopter like a blind person.
The helicopter was apparently flying 'invisible', with its transponders off and not communicating with the ATC. Military planes fly like that when they are either on a mission, or during training runs. I wonder what mission the helicopter was on over New York , or why it was doing this sort of training over a megapolis.

It sounds very shady to me. Hope the investigations will bring the truth out.

RIP to the deceased.
 
Trump's presidency off to a shaky start. First this accident and now he is announcing sweeping changes to the foreign policy in the name of tariffs.
 
Trump's presidency off to a shaky start. First this accident and now he is announcing sweeping changes to the foreign policy in the name of tariffs.

He is an amateur. He probably thinks it is some sort of reality show.

These tariffs can hurt USA. Countries can simply switch to other countries.

He has decided to place 25% tariff on Canada. He is also picking up fights with NATO.
 
He is an amateur. He probably thinks it is some sort of reality show.

These tariffs can hurt USA. Countries can simply switch to other countries.

He has decided to place 25% tariff on Canada. He is also picking up fights with NATO.
Only time will tell. He is a businessman and knows how to twist arms to get the results he wants.

War is not the only option. There are may other ways to get the results.
 
Only time will tell. He is a businessman and knows how to twist arms to get the results he wants.

War is not the only option. There are may other ways to get the results.

LOL. Many of his businesses failed. He is not some business genius. He inherited his fortune from his father. He didn't create anything. He also did many shady/dodgy things.

Anyway, I feel like Trump acted like an idiot regarding this plane crash. He blamed DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) without checking all the facts. I guess his racism came out.
 
Helicopter black box recovered from Washington DC plane crash site

Officials have recovered the cockpit voice recorder - also known as the black box - from the helicopter involved in the plane crash that killed 67 people at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday.

Emergency responders are planning to ramp up operations over the weekend to recover the debris from the site.

There were 64 passengers aboard an American Airlines flight when it collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has since restricted helicopter traffic around the airport after concerns from officials about overcrowding in the airspace overhead.

As of Friday, 28 people from the crash had been identified and 41 bodies had been recovered from the water.

The rest of the bodies will not be found until officials are able to hoist the plane off the riverbed, officials have said.

Investigators recovered the black boxes from the wreckage of the passenger plane the day after the collision.

After soaking those black boxes and extracting the moisture from them, they will be able to get data from the recorders "very soon", National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman told reporters on Friday evening.

"We just have to work through a number of steps," Mr Inman said.

NTSB members said they still do not know the cause of the collision.

Mr Inman said the "main lifting" of the salvage operations, which will be carried out by the US Navy, will begin on Saturday.

Parts of the aircraft need to be removed from the water before divers can go back in.

Authorities plan on mapping the debris in the river so they can better understand how the aircraft responded to the collision.

Work to remove large segments of the aircraft from the water by crane starts on Sunday and will continue throughout the week, said Mr Inman.

Over 500 people have been working around the clock at the site of the crash in the Potomac River, Washington DC fire chief John Donnelly said.

Mr Inman was asked about reports that one air traffic controller was managing both control for helicopters and airplanes flying in the area

He did not comment on specifics, but said officials plan to examine the controller's behaviour over the past several weeks and in particular, the 72 hours before the crash.

"Obviously we'll be looking at not only staffing that day...[but also] how many people, what job functions they've done, are they being combined."

The Air Traffic Control group is still conducting interviews.

Mr Inman was also asked whether his team is in contact with the White House.

President Donald Trump has suggested without evidence that the helicopter involved in the crash "was flying too high".

Recordings of air traffic control conversations published online suggested that a controller tried to warn the helicopter about the American Airlines plane in the seconds before the collision.

The helicopter pilot appeared to respond to confirm they were aware of the plane, but moments later the two aircraft collided.

Trump has also said suggested that diversity hiring at the FAA may have led to safety issues.

"Our job is to find the facts," Mr Inman said. "More importantly, our job is to make sure this tragedy doesn't happen again - regardless of what anyone may be saying."

BBC
 
Medical jet with six aboard crashes into Philadelphia neighbourhood

A small medical transport plane has crashed into several buildings in north-east Philadelphia, setting homes and vehicles ablaze and injuring people on the ground.

The jet was on a medical transport mission on Friday evening and carrying four crew members, a child patient and the patient's escort, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, a medical aircraft company, said in a statement.

"We know that there will be loss," Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro said during a news conference at the scene of the crash, calling it an "awful aviation disaster".

Emergency crews rushed to the evening crash scene as residents crowded streets littered with fiery debris and pieces of the aircraft.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene with people who were injured and structures ablaze.

The child on board the plane was receiving care in the US for a life-threatening condition and was returning to Tijuana, Mexico, Shai Gold, a spokesman for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, told a local NBC outlet.

The girl was accompanied by her mother, a pilot, a copilot, a doctor and a paramedic, the spokesman said.

Mr Gold told NBC the child's treatment was sponsored by a third-partner charity.

"She fought quite a lot to survive, and unfortunately, this tragedy on the way home," he said.

The Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia put out a notice on X for Mexican nationals affected by the incident to call a helpline.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said city officials do not know the number of fatalities, but the city is "asking for prayers for anyone and everyone that may have been affected".

"If you see debris, call 911, don't touch anything," she told city residents.

The crash happened just blocks from the Roosevelt Mall, a three-storey shopping center in a densely populated part of Philadelphia, the fifth biggest city in the US.

The area where the crash occurred is filled with terraced housing and shops.

Videos of the incident online show the plane coming down quickly and sparking a huge fireball.

Witnesses described shrapnel from the crash damaging cars and sending burning debris into the streets. Photos of the aftermath show burning cars mangled.

One man who spoke with CBS, the BBC's US partner, said he was driving in the area when he heard a whirring sound and then a loud explosion.

"Everyone just started screaming," he said.

One witness told local media that the explosion "lit up the whole sky".

"I just saw a plane basically hit the building and it exploded. The sky lit up and I pulled over and basically, it was just real bad around here," the witness told WPVI-TV, describing the crash as feeling like an earthquake.

Ryan Tian, 23, told The Philadelphia Inquirer he was getting dinner when he saw a "massive fireball" that turned the sky orange.

"I thought we were getting attacked by something," he said. As he saw people start to flee, he decided to get "outta there".

What do we know about the crash?

The plane, a Learjet 55, took off from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport about 18:30 local time and crashed less than four miles (6.4km) away, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA said in a statement that the flight was en-route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri. At first, the agency said two people were on the plane but later revised that to six.

According to data on FlightAware, a flight tracking website, the plane was operated by a company called Med Jets, and had arrived in Philadelphia from Florida less than four hours earlier.

In a statement, President Donald Trump said his administration was "totally engaged".

"So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost," he said.

The plane crash comes just two days after a much larger collision happened between a commercial jet and a military helicopter in Washington DC, where officials suspect all 67 people aboard both aircraft were killed.

It was the deadliest plane crash in the US in over 20 years.

BBC
 
Why was a routine US Army Training flight called PAT25 (Priority Air Transport)? This call sign is reserved for VIP transport.

Not the reason for the crash but just saying
 
Soldier identified in DC plane crash, data shows helicopter may have been too high

The U.S. Army on Saturday released the name of the third soldier who died on a Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport this week, killing 67 people in all.

The soldier was identified as Captain Rebecca Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina. She was an aviation officer in the regular Army since 2019 and assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

The Army had initially declined to identify Lobach, an unusual decision that the agency said was made at the request of the family.

But on Saturday the Army said in a statement that Lobach's family had agreed to release her name to the public.

"She was a bright star in all our lives," her family said in a statement, noting that she worked as an advocate for victims of sexual assault and planned to become a doctor after her military service. "No one dreamed bigger or worked harder to achieve her goals."

Meanwhile, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have determined the CRJ700 airplane was at 325 feet (91 meters), plus or minus 25 feet, at the time of impact, officials said at a Saturday evening news briefing.

The information was based on data recovered from the jet's flight data recorder - the "black box" that tracks the aircraft's movements, speed and other parameters.

The new detail suggests the Army helicopter was flying above 200 feet (61 meters), the maximum altitude for the route it was using.

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered hefty new tariffs of 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China on Saturday, White House officials said.

Preliminary data indicates the control tower's radar showed the helicopter at 200 feet at the time of the accident, though officials said the information has not been confirmed.

"That's what our job is, to figure that out," NTSB board member Todd Inman told reporters when asked what could explain the discrepancy.

Inman also said at Saturday's briefing that the helicopter's training flight would typically include the use of night-vision goggles.

"We do not know at this time if the night-vision goggles were actually being worn, nor what the setting may be," he said. "Further investigation should be able to let us know if that occurred and what factor it may play in the overall accident."

Data confirms that the air traffic controller alerted the helicopter to the presence of the CRJ700 about two minutes before the crash.

One second before impact, the crew aboard the American flight had a "verbal reaction," according to the plane's cockpit voice recorder, and flight data shows the plane's nose began to rise, officials said.

The official said an automated radio transmission alerted "traffic, traffic, traffic," was heard on the voice recorder and then sounds of the collision were heard before the recording ends.

The Army previously identified the other two soldiers killed in Wednesday's crash as Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39. The names of the 60 passengers and four crew members who died on the jet have not been officially released, although many have been identified through family and social media.

Crews are preparing to remove the wreckage of the aircraft from the Potomac River starting on Sunday. Forty-two bodies have been recovered thus far, the Washington, D.C., fire department said on Saturday.

SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/so...helicopter-may-have-been-too-high-2025-02-02/
 

Air traffic control staffing 'not normal' during DC crash - officials​


Air traffic control staffing was "not normal" at the time of a mid-air collision between a military helicopter and passenger plane in Washington D.C. that killed 67 people, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has acknowledged.

US media reported that Reagan National Airport tower was understaffed during Wednesday's crash, according to a government report.

One air traffic control worker was managing helicopters and some planes from the airport, a job normally done by two people, two sources told CBS News, the BBC's US news partner.

"I'll take the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at their word that it wasn't normal," Duffy said when asked about reports during a Fox News interview on Sunday.

Duffy said "that was part of the review process that we have to do".

He explained there was a "consolidation of air traffic controllers an hour before it was supposed to happen during the time of this crash. And so was, what was the appropriateness of that?"

Duffy raised questions about whether controllers did "appropriately direct traffic, consistent with procedures at the FAA", as well as the elevation of the helicopter.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Board Member Todd Inman said preliminary data revealed the helicopter was flying at about 200 feet, CBS reported. The flight ceiling for helicopters in the area near Reagan National Airport is 200 feet.

Duffy also questioned the timing of its flight.

"Why would they fly a mission at nine o'clock at night through really busy air space... as opposed to flying that mission at one o'clock in the morning, when there's very little traffic"? he asked.

"I want our military to be trained up and ready to go, but I also want air travellers to be safe as well, and there's a time and a place to do it, not at nine o'clock at night when there's heavy traffic."

Investigators are considering a number of factors, including height, in determining the cause of the crash, but have not yet made any public conclusions, NTSB officials said on Thursday.

There were 64 passengers aboard the American Airlines flight when it collided mid-air with an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers. There were no survivors.

Duffy said the US has a chronic understaffing problem in air traffic control.

US media has reported that more than 90% of air traffic control facilities in the country are operating below FAA recommended staffing levels.

"We haven't had enough air traffic controllers in America for a very long time," Duffy said, adding "they are stressed out. They're tapped out. They're overworked. That's no excuse. It's just a reality of what we have in the system."

The new transportation secretary said he was working with the FAA to train new air traffic controllers and "has a plan that's going to come out to fix the problem, but the issue is you can't flip a switch and get air traffic controllers here tomorrow."

 
Air traffic control staffing 'not normal' during DC crash - officials

Air traffic control staffing was "not normal" at the time of a mid-air collision between a military helicopter and passenger plane in Washington, DC that killed 67 people, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has acknowledged.

US media reported that Reagan National Airport tower was understaffed during Wednesday's crash, according to a government report.

One air traffic control worker was managing helicopters and some planes from the airport, a job normally done by two people, two sources told CBS News, the BBC's US news partner.

"I'll take the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at their word that it wasn't normal," Duffy said when asked about reports during the FOX News Sunday programme.

Duffy said "that was part of the review process that we have to do".

He explained there was a "consolidation of air traffic controllers an hour before it was supposed to happen during the time of this crash. And so was, what was the appropriateness of that?"

Duffy raised questions about whether controllers did "appropriately direct traffic, consistent with procedures at the FAA", as well as the elevation of the helicopter.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Board Member Todd Inman said preliminary data revealed the helicopter was flying at about 200ft (60m), CBS reported. The flight ceiling for helicopters in the area near Reagan National Airport is 200ft.

Duffy also questioned the timing of its flight.

"Why would they fly a mission at nine o'clock at night through really busy air space... as opposed to flying that mission at one o'clock in the morning, when there's very little traffic"? he asked.

"I want our military to be trained up and ready to go, but I also want air travellers to be safe as well, and there's a time and a place to do it, not at nine o'clock at night when there's heavy traffic."

Investigators are considering a number of factors, including height, in determining the cause of the crash, but have not yet made any public conclusions, NTSB officials said on Thursday.

There were 64 passengers aboard the American Airlines flight when it collided mid-air with an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers. There were no survivors.

Dozens of family members of the victims gathered at the scene of the crash on Sunday morning.

They arrived in chartered buses with a police escort, first travelling to the crash scene and then on to a runway where the flight was supposed to land.


 
Investigators seek clues in deadly aircraft collision as divers return to frigid river to recover wreckage and remains

Crews working at the site of the deadliest aviation disaster in a generation are balancing two important missions: extracting parts of two aircraft that collided and fell into the Potomac River in Washington, DC, and searching for remains of victims within the wreckage, which is the searchers’ priority.

The Bombardier CRJ700 jet operating as American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter on a training mission ran into each other over the river nearly a week ago in an accident that remains unexplained.

More parts of the plane – which will also form pieces of the puzzle investigators are trying to solve – were pulled from the river Tuesday morning. One section of the plane’s fuselage lay sideways on a barge, a row of cabin windows clearly visible. By afternoon, the plane’s tail – with its distinctive red, white and blue livery – was removed from the murky water.

Officials have said they would likely recover the American Airlines cockpit later Tuesday, wind gusts and tidal levels permitting. All 67 victims have been recovered and 66 of them have been identified, officials said Tuesday afternoon.


 
Search under way in Alaska for missing Bering Air plane carrying 10 people

A search for a missing plane carrying 10 people is under way in Alaska.

The Bering Air flight left Unalakleet at 2.38pm on Thursday but contact was lost less than an hour later, the firm's operations director David Olson said.

Officials are trying to work out its last-known position but the coastguard said the Cessna Grand Caravan was 12 miles offshore as it flew across Norton Sound.

Tracking site Flightradar24 reported it at 5,300ft before contact was lost.

It was travelling from Unalakleet, a community of about 690 people in western Alaska, to Nome, a gold rush town just south of the Arctic Circle.

The flight time is normally just under an hour.

In a post on Facebook, Nome's fire department said: "We are currently doing an active ground search from Nome and from White Mountain."

It added: "We ask the public to please think of those who may be missing at this time, but due to weather and safety concerns please do not form individual search parties."

Weather in Unalakleet at take-off time was -8.3C (17F) with fog and light snow, according to the US National Weather Service.

Bering Air serves 32 villages in western Alaska and air travel is often the only option of travelling long distances in rural parts of the US state, especially in winter.

"Staff at Bering Air is working hard to gather details, get emergency assistance, search and rescue going," said Mr Olson.

It comes soon after two major air accidents in the US in recent weeks.

Sixty-seven people were killed when a jet and helicopter collided in Washington DC and seven died when a medical plane crashed in Philadelphia.

SOURCE: https://news.sky.com/story/search-u...-bering-air-plane-carrying-10-people-13304491
 
Another plane missing third disaster within a month in US , something is off, Wonder what could be going on?

@shaz619
 
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Another plane missing third disaster within a month in US , something is off, Wonder what could be going on?

@shaz619

Am afraid it’s not going to be good news up in them mountains with the terrible weather and a light aircraft, hope there are survivors iA…
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Missing Alaska plane found with three confirmed dead - US Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard has said the wreckage of a small plane that went missing in Alaska on Thursday has been found, with three people confirmed dead.

The coastguard said seven other bodies are believed to be inside the aircraft, but are currently inaccessible because of the condition of the plane.

Ten people were on board the Cessna Caravan craft, operated by the airline Bering Air, when its position was lost about 12 miles (19km) offshore on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The coastguard said the aircraft wreckage was located 34 miles south-east of the city of Nome, where it had been headed from Unalakleet.

"Say a prayer tonight for the 10 souls who lost their lives on the Bering Air flight in Alaska," US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said.

Duffy said the the National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into the incident, with the support of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Alaska State Troopers said it had been notified of an "overdue" aircraft at 16:00 local time on Thursday (01:00 GMT).

The Nome volunteer fire department said the pilot had told air traffic controllers that "he intended to enter a holding pattern while waiting for the runway to be cleared".

The coastguard later said the plane had experienced a rapid loss in altitude and speed before its location was lost.

Details of who was on board have not been released but the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said all families of the passengers have been notified.

The 10 people on board comprised of nine passengers and a pilot, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said.

Air search and rescue operations had been limited by difficult weather conditions, which hampered visibility, multiple parties involved in rescue efforts said.

Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski shared her condolences online following the incident.

"Alaska is a big small town. When tragedy strikes, we're never far removed from the Alaskans directly impacted," Murkowski said.

Alaska's Governor, Mike Dunleavy, said he was "heartbroken" by the disappearance of the flight.

"Our prayers are with the passengers, the pilot, and their loved ones during this difficult time," he said.

The two cities of Unakleet and Nome are some 146 miles from each other across the Norton Sound, an inlet of the Bering Sea on Alaska's western coast.

BBC
 

All major pieces of plane and helicopter in mid-air collision in Washington DC have been recovered, say crash investigators​

All major pieces have now been recovered of the passenger plane and US army helicopter which collided in mid-air in Washington DC last week, say safety officials.

Sixty-seven people were killed in the 29 January disaster which left both aircraft in the Potomac River after they plunged into the water. The remains of all the victims have been recovered. There were no survivors.

Salvage crews have been working to recover the wreckage of the American Airlines jet and the Black Hawk helicopter.

Their black boxes have been found and crash debris is now in a hangar in Arlington, Virginia, as the probe continues.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said: "Investigators will be looking for witness marks on the aircraft that could provide clues to the angle of collision."

On Saturday, a plane equipped with lasers flew low over the crash scene as it scanned the bottom of the river. Crews will spend the coming days looking for smaller debris before finishing the work in around a week.

At the time of the disaster, American Airlines Flight 5342, carrying 60 passengers and four crew, was preparing to land at nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, while the Sikorsky helicopter, with three pilots on board, was on a training exercise.

Helicopter was 'above limit'

The jet's flight recorder showed its altitude as 325ft (99m), plus or minus 25ft (7.6m).

The helicopter was flying at 300ft (91m), which was 100ft (30.5m) over the maximum allowed for that route, the NTSB has said.

Key safety system turned off

Earlier this week, it emerged that a key safety system was turned off on the helicopter.

Senate commerce committee chairperson Ted Cruz, who has been briefed by investigators, said the Black Hawk had switched off its automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), which is allowed for military aircraft.

Also, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has started reviewing airports with high numbers of mixed helicopter and plane traffic nearby after Mr Cruz said he had wanted a safety review.

President Donald Trump on Thursday blamed the collision on what he called an "obsolete" computer system used by US air traffic controllers and vowed to replace it.

He has also linked a diversity drive at the FAA under previous governments to the crash.

It has since been said there is no evidence to support the president's claim.

Last week's crash was the deadliest US air disaster since 12 November 2001, when a jet hit a New York City neighbourhood soon after take-off, killing all 260 people on board and five on the ground.

Source: SKY

ADS-B is an advanced surveillance technology to track aircraft location. Mr Cruz said the helicopter had a transponder so it would appear on radar but ADS-B is much more accurate.

"This was a training mission, so there was no compelling national security reason for ADS-B to be turned off," Mr Cruz said.
 
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