An American Airways airplane was discovered the other way up and in three sections after colliding mid-air with a navy helicopter over a serious river in Washington DC.
A complete of 28 our bodies – 27 from the passenger airplane and one from the helicopter – have been recovered from the Potomac River after the 2 plane fell into the icy waters round 9pm native time (2am UK time) on Wednesday evening.
The American Airways flight 5342, which had 60 passengers and 4 crew on board, was flying into the Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport from Wichita in Kansas, when the collision passed off.
The US military Black Hawk helicopter, which had three troopers on board, was on a coaching flight on the time.
Picture:
Authorities within the Potomac River. Pic: AP
An preliminary search and rescue mission to search for survivors has now grow to be a restoration operation, Washington DC hearth chief John Donnelly mentioned in an replace.
“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” he mentioned.
“We don’t believe there are any survivors.”
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
0:19
CCTV captures second of mid-air collision
US Determine Skating, the nationwide governing physique for the game within the US, mentioned in an announcement that a number of members of its skating neighborhood had been on the passenger airplane.
It mentioned the athletes and coaches had been returning house from a coaching camp in Kansas.
Championship determine skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov have been named by the Kremlin and Russian state media as two individuals who had been on the airplane.
The married couple from Russia received the world championship in pairs determine skating in 1994.
Picture:
Championship determine skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. Pic: Colorsport/Shutterstock
In an announcement late on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump thanked first responders for his or her “incredible work”, and mentioned he was “monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise”.
He added: “May God Bless their souls.”
Vp JD Vance additionally inspired followers on social media to “say a prayer for everyone involved”.
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
0:41
‘I want you to land’ – audio from crash
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Overseas Secretary David Lammy additionally despatched their condolences to the households of these on board and the emergency responders.
The Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport will stay closed till at the least 11am in the present day native time (4pm UK time).
Crash ‘completely preventable’
Transport secretary Sean Duffy mentioned the wreckage of the airplane was discovered the other way up in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was additionally discovered.
Officers are but to say what they imagine prompted the collision, with American Airways chief government Robert Isom saying they have no idea why the navy plane got here into the trail of the airplane.
The collision occurred in a number of the most tightly managed and monitored airspace on the earth, simply over three miles south of the White Home and the US Capitol.
Picture:
Pic: AP
Picture:
Pic: Reuters
Mr Duffy added he believes the crash was “absolutely preventable” and each plane had been on “standard flight patterns” on the time.
He added that there was “standard communication” between the airplane and the navy helicopter earlier than the crash.
A couple of minutes earlier than touchdown, air visitors controllers requested the American Airways flight if it might land on the shorter Runway 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport and the pilots mentioned they had been ready.
Controllers then cleared the airplane to land on Runway 33.
Flight monitoring websites confirmed the airplane circled spherical to method the brand new runway from the south, whereas the helicopter was approaching from the north.
The US military and the defence division has begun an investigation into the crash.
Pete Hegseth, who was sworn in as defence secretary solely days in the past, mentioned it had been began “immediately”.
