Geline Salac

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AFTERMATH OF WASHINGTON PLANE CRASH 

Agence France-Presse

<div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABTuKa4ukCQ2VeON&amp;activation=click&amp;vip_mode=playing&amp;vip_position=bottom-right"></script></div><p>A US commercial airliner with 64 people aboard and a military helicopter collided over Washington on Wednesday before crashing into the Potomac River.</p><p>A rescue mission had turned into a recovery operation by Thursday, with no survivors expected.</p><p>Here&#x27;s what we know so far:</p><div><strong>What happened?</strong></div><p>Just before 9:00 pm (10 a.m. Thursday in Manila) a Bombardier jet operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA was approaching Reagan National Airport when it collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter.</p><p>American Eagle Flight 5342 was flying to the US capital from Wichita, Kansas -- typically a journey time of just under three hours.</p><p>Air traffic controllers asked the jet to switch its landing route from one runway to another shortly before the crash, according to The New York Times, which added this was a routine request for regional flights.</p><p>Ahead of the crash, controllers warned the helicopter it was on course to collide with the passenger jet.</p><p>Footage from the nearby Kennedy Center captured a small aircraft heading towards a well-lit descending plane before a fireball can be seen.</p><p>Both plunged into the Potomac River, with the plane fuselage splitting into three separate pieces.</p><div><strong>No survivors</strong></div><p>Authorities say they do not expect any survivors from the crash, and were on Thursday working to recover 67 bodies from the river.</p><p>American Airlines reported 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the flight, while three US Army personnel were on the helicopter, according to a military official.</p><p>The plane was carrying athletes and coaches from the elite figure skating world, including former Russian world pairs champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.</p><p>US Figure Skating said &quot;several&quot; members of its community were aboard the flight.</p><p>The plane pilot was identified by US media as Sam Lilley, a 28-year-old with six years experience at American Airlines, and who was engaged to be married.</p><div><strong>Complex recovery operation</strong></div><p>Washington fire chief John Donnelly said a large-scale and &quot;highly complex&quot; recovery operation was launched Wednesday night. Boats were still on the water Thursday looking for victims and wreckage.</p><p>Water conditions were cold enough for hypothermia to set in within 30 minutes, according to experts, and some debris had spread downriver into Maryland.</p><p>None of the so-called black box flight recorders had been located as of Thursday afternoon, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said, adding they were believed to be underwater.</p><div><strong>Was it avoidable?</strong></div><p>Both aircraft were on standard flight patterns on a clear night with good visibility, albeit in an airspace that is extremely busy with military and commercial craft.</p><p>US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said those aboard the helicopter -- a captain, staff sergeant and chief warrant officer -- were a &quot;fairly experienced crew.&quot;</p><p>Authorities said the weather Wednesday night was clear, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy adding that the crash was &quot;absolutely&quot; preventable.</p><p>President Donald Trump told a news conference that the American Airlines plane was &quot;doing everything right&quot; before the collision.</p><p>&quot;You had a pilot problem from the standpoint of the helicopter,&quot; Trump said. &quot;You could have done a million different maneuvers. For some reason, it just kept going.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/1/30/trump-blames-deadly-washington-air-collision-on-diversity-0617">Trump blames deadly Washington air collision on &#x27;diversity&#x27;</a></div><div><strong>Investigation underway</strong></div><p>The New York Times reported that staffing in Reagan National&#x27;s air traffic control tower was &quot;not normal,&quot; citing an internal preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report.</p><p>A controller was monitoring both planes and helicopters -- jobs that &quot;typically are assigned to two controllers, rather than one,&quot; the newspaper reported.</p><p>The NTSB, the federal agency that probes civilian transportation accidents, said it will leave &quot;no stone unturned&quot; in its investigation into the incident.</p><p>After the crash Trump blamed so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies under presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for poor safety standards, building on the Republican&#x27;s wider attacks on DEI practices since he took office last week.</p><p>Asked about the president&#x27;s claims, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters: &quot;As part of any investigation, we look at the human, the machine and the environment.&quot;</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>A US commercial airliner with 64 people aboard and a military helicopter collided over Washington on Wednesday before crashing into the Potomac River.</p>

A US commercial airliner with 64 people aboard and a military helicopter collided over Washington on Wednesday before crashing into the Potomac River.

Washington midair crash: What we know so far

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Washington midair crash: What we know so far

Agence France-Presse

Published Jan 31, 2025 07:04 AM PHT

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