Aftermath of American Eagle flight 5342 crash in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Divers plumbing the dark depths of the Potomac River have recovered at least 41 bodies from a deadly collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter, according to officials in Washington. The divers are facing difficult conditions — cold rain and wind gusts of up to 24 mph — as they also seek clues about the deadliest US air crash in 20 years.
The collision has prompted fresh scrutiny into the conditions at Ronald Reagan National Airport, one of the country’s busiest and most tightly regulated airspaces, where the frequent presence of military flights complicates the job of air traffic controllers, who are among the federal workers the Trump administration has asked to resign.
Among the questions facing investigators is whether the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter left its designated flight path as it approached the airport Wednesday evening. Four people briefed on the matter but not authorized to speak about it publicly said the helicopter appeared to have been flying higher than air traffic control had approved.
The inquiry was also expected to look at staffing at the control tower, which was “not normal” at the time of the crash, according to a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration. The internal FAA report, which was reviewed by The New York Times, said the controller was handling both helicopters and planes in the area, jobs typically assigned to two people.
Here’s what else to know:
The plane’s path: Shortly before the crash, the jet’s pilots were asked to pivot their landing route from one runway to another, according to a person briefed on the event and audio recordings of conversations between an air traffic controller and the pilots.
The investigation: The National Transportation Safety Board recovered the cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder from the plane and will have them analyzed. President Donald Trump promised Thursday that a thorough investigation would be conducted, while also engaging in political attacks on his predecessors.
The victims: In addition to many figure skaters aboard the flight, several friends returning to the East Coast from a duck hunt in Kansas were on the plane. A full list of those who died has not yet been released.
A mass email: The Trump administration on the day of the crash sent an email to FAA employees, encouraging them to resign and find more productive work in the private sector. The email was sent to people in a wide array of federal agencies, but its tone and timing hit hard at the FAA.
The pilots: The two American Airlines pilots had been flying for years. Robert Isom, the airline’s CEO, stressed their experience but provided no additional details. Two Army officials confirmed that the pilots of the helicopter — one woman, one man — and a male staff sergeant were killed in the collision.