All 67 folks on board an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter that collided in midair whereas the aircraft was touchdown at Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport close to Washington, DC, are believed to be lifeless, in line with officers.
That is the deadliest aviation tragedy in the USA since November 12, 2001, when an American Airways aircraft crashed right into a residential space of Belle Harbor, New York, shortly after taking off from John F Kennedy Worldwide Airport in New York Metropolis, killing 260 passengers on board and 5 folks on the bottom.
Here’s what we all know in regards to the victims of Wednesday’s crash, what occurred and what the preliminary investigations counsel may need contributed to the accident.
How did the aircraft crash unfold?
Flight 5342, operated by American Eagle, a regional department of American Airways, was flying from Wichita, Kansas, to the airport simply exterior Washington, DC. Because it approached Ronald Reagan airport about 9pm on Wednesday (02:00 GMT on Thursday), the plane collided with a Sikorsky Black Hawk military helicopter.
Shortly earlier than touchdown, the aircraft’s pilots have been requested to vary runways. Whereas the aircraft was initially alleged to land on the primary runway 1, the aircraft was requested to pivot to runway 33, which is way shorter. Flight monitoring maps confirmed that the pilots accepted this request and adjusted the aircraft.
Fewer than 30 seconds earlier than the crash came about, an air visitors controller requested the military helicopter if it might see the aircraft.
“PAT25 [army helicopter], do you’ve a CRJ [American Airlines plane] in sight? PAT25, go behind the CRJ,” an air visitors controller mentioned at 8:47pm.
A short while later, air visitors controllers might be heard saying, “Crash, crash, crash, that is an alert three.”
The 2 plane crashed into the Potomac River. The reason for the collision will not be identified but.
Have been there any survivors?
The American Airways flight was carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew members whereas the Black Hawk had three US military troopers on board.
“We at the moment are at some extent the place we’re switching from a rescue operation to a restoration operation. At this level, we don’t imagine there are any survivors from this accident,” Washington, DC, Hearth Chief John Donnelly mentioned in a televised assertion on Thursday.
What number of our bodies have been recovered?
Donnelly added that the our bodies of 27 folks have been recovered from the aircraft whereas one physique has been recovered from the helicopter. Individually, a legislation enforcement supply instructed CBS Information that a minimum of 40 our bodies have been recovered.
What do we all know in regards to the investigation to date?
The Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB) is finishing up an “all-hands-on-deck” investigation into the crash, Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy mentioned throughout a information convention on Thursday.
The NTSB is an impartial federal company that investigates civil aviation accidents within the US in addition to severe incidents associated to different modes of transportation.
On Friday, the NTSB introduced it had found the black boxes from the aircraft. Black containers file flight information, pilots’ conversations and radio communications throughout flights. These recorders present important data in investigating aviation incidents as a result of they’ll reveal pilot actions or exterior elements that may have contributed to accidents.
“The recorders are on the NTSB labs for analysis,” the company mentioned in a submit on X.
Whereas the investigation is at an early stage, a number of US media retailers, together with The New York Occasions and NBC Information, have quoted unnamed sources as saying there was an air visitors controller scarcity on Wednesday evening at Reagan airport.
Whereas usually there’s one air visitors controller for planes and one other one for helicopters, the identical particular person was dealing with each planes and helicopters on Wednesday evening.
For the investigation, the NTSB will type working teams to look into totally different areas linked to the accident, in line with NTSB board member Todd Inman.
Inman defined that these teams would come with: operations, investigation crew member duties and flight histories; energy techniques, wanting into plane engines; buildings, documenting the accident scene and air body wreckage; survival elements, wanting into accidents sustained; techniques, wanting into electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic elements of the aircraft and helicopter; and an air visitors management group.
The NTSB has not mentioned how lengthy the investigation would take, however investigations into aviation incidents can take one to 2 years. The company sometimes releases a preliminary report a number of weeks after the accident that accommodates data collected on the scene.
Who have been the victims of the aircraft crash?
Little is thought but in regards to the three troopers on the helicopter.
On the American Airways flight, 14 folks have been affiliated with the determine skating group and have been returning dwelling from a nationwide determine skating growth camp for younger skaters in Wichita, Skating Membership of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe mentioned on Thursday.
They included a Russian world champion skating couple in addition to two teenage determine skaters and their moms.
Right here is extra in regards to the victims:
Samuel Lilley
Lilley, 28, was one of many American Airways pilots killed within the incident, Lilley’s father, Timothy Lilley, confirmed in a Fb submit and feedback to the media.
Timothy Lilley wrote that his son was “doing nice” in his profession and private life and was to have been married this 12 months.
“Now it hurts so dangerous I can’t even cry myself to sleep. I do know I’ll see him once more however my coronary heart is breaking,” he wrote within the submit.
Jonathan Campos
Flight captain Campos, 34, was additionally killed, in line with a fellow pilot, CNN reported.
His alma mater, Florida-based Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical College, launched an announcement saying the institute was “deeply saddened to study of the passing of Captain Jonathan Campos”.
The assertion added that Campos graduated with an aeronautical science diploma in 2015.
Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova
A married Russian couple – Naumov, 55, and Shishkova, 52 – have been determine skating coaches. Naumov and Shishkova gained the world championship in pairs determine skating in 1994.
The couple moved to the US within the Nineties and have become skating coaches.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Thursday that the couple was on the flight. “We’re sorry and ship condolences to the households and buddies who misplaced these of our fellow residents who died within the aircraft crash,” he mentioned.
They’re survived by their son, Maxim Naumov, 23, who earned fourth place on the US nationwide championships in Wichita on Sunday. Maxim Naumov, who was born within the US, was not on the flight.
Jinna and Jin Han
The Skating Membership of Boston additionally mentioned determine skater Jinna Han and her mom, Jin Han, have been additionally killed within the crash.
“We watched Jinna simply develop up right here from only a tiny little tyke into this amazingly mature 13 12 months outdated,” Zeghibe mentioned.
Spencer and Christine Lane
The Skating Membership mentioned Spencer Lane, 16, and his mom, Christine Lane, 49, have been additionally killed.
The determine skater from Barrington, Rhode Island, would usually submit about his skating journey on his social media accounts, together with TikTok.
On Wednesday, hours earlier than the crash, he posted a photograph on his Instagram story from contained in the aircraft proper earlier than it took off from Wichita.
Spencer Lane was adopted from South Korea in 2008 by Christine and Doug Lane, his father instructed US media outlet NewsNation.
Doug Lane mentioned his son was a “power of nature” who began determine skating three years in the past. “It’s simply devastating,” he mentioned.
Alexandr Kirsanov, Sean Kay and Angela Yang
A skating coach from Delaware, Kirsanov, 46, was additionally killed, his spouse, Natalya Gudin, instructed ABC Information.
Gudin mentioned Kirsanov was accompanying two younger ice skaters on the journey. She mentioned she final spoke together with her husband as he boarded his flight.
Kirsanov was the coach of younger skating duo, Kay and Yang, who have been additionally on the flight. Their ages are unclear in the mean time.
Olivia Ter
Ter, 12, was a determine skater from Maryland and was additionally on the aircraft, in line with an announcement by the Maryland-Nationwide Capital Park and Planning Fee.
Ian Epstein
Epstein, 53, was an American Airways flight attendant who was additionally killed within the crash, Epstein’s sister Robbie Bloom confirmed to CNN.
The flight attendant is survived by two kids and two stepchildren.
Asra Hussain Raza
Hussain Raza, 26, was additionally killed within the accident, her father-in-law instructed CNN.
Hussain Raza was a daughter of Indian immigrants and was a marketing consultant based mostly in Washington, DC. She would journey to Wichita twice a month to work on a undertaking for a hospital there.
Different victims recognized
Different victims who’ve been recognized by native media to date embrace Wendy Jo Shaffer, Brielle Beyer, Justyna Beyer, Grace Maxwell and Casey Crafton.
