An American Airlines passenger jet with 64 people on board collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers near Reagan National Airport outside D.C. early on Wednesday (January 29) night around 9 pm, sending both aircraft crashing into the Potomac River. The passenger jet was reportedly approaching the runway at DCA after taking off in Wichita, Kansas.
Authorities revealed on Thursday morning that they are now considering it a recovery operation, as there are no expected survivors of the crash. John Donnelly, chief of D.C. Fire and EMS, told reporters: "We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident, and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter."
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated in a press briefing, "This was not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and an aircraft landing at DCA." He added that he believes the crash was entirely preventable.
It was also revealed that a figure skating group including coaches and their families were on the flight following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also confirmed that Russian figure skaters and other citizens were on board.
Source: Axios
