There are believed to be no survivors from the crash of an American Airlines flight in Washington, DC, confirming the incident as the USA’s deadliest commercial aviation disaster in 16 years.
A Bombardier CRJ700 operated by PSA Airlines as American flight 5342 collided with a US Army Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter while on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National airport on the evening of 29 January. Both aircraft fell into the Potomac River.
Boat crews and divers located wreckage from both aircraft overnight, battling darkness and challenging winter conditions, including high winds and ice on the river.
American says 60 passengers and four crew were onboard flight 5342, while the army has confirmed three personnel were aboard the UH-60. American owns PSA.
After working through the night, emergency response officials from the District of Columbia say they have not located any survivors from the crash, and now do not expect to find any.
“At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” says John Donnelly, chief of fire and emergency services for the District of Columbia.
Donnelly spoke at Washington National airport on 30 January, alongside other city and federal officials, including newly-confirmed US transportation secretary Sean Duffy.
“We are in a recovery mode right now”, says Jack Potter, chief executive of the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority.
Potter and other emergency response officials say wreckage from the crash sits in water ranging from waist-deep to approximately 2.4m (8ft). The fuselage of the CRJ700 was found belly-up, fragmented into three sections.
The USA’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has already begun assessing debris, according to Duffy.
“NTSB is going to start to analyse that aircraft, partner with the FAA, with all the information we have to get the best results possible for the American people,” he says.
Duffy describes the incident as “preventable” and promised a thorough inquiry into its causes. “We will not rest until we have answers for the families and for the flying public,” he says.
Operations at Reagan National, which is located less than 5km (3 miles) from the White House and US Capitol, are on hold until 11am local time on 30 January, when the first flights will begin taking off.
“It’s been determined that we can open that airport safely,” Potter says, following consultations with safety regulators at the Federal Aviation Administration and emergency response officials.
Potter says other Washington-area airports are operating normally, including Maryland’s Baltimore/Washington International and Washington Dulles International in Virginia.
Although a portion of Reagan National’s riverfront property is being occupied to support the massive emergency response effort, Potter says a secure area has been established around the airport’s main runway to allow a resumption of flights.
“Our primary runway 1-19 will be open. It’s away from any activity… so all are comfortable that we can get back to operations,” he says.
With hopes of rescuing survivors fading, questions now turn to how the disaster occurred and what changes in aviation safety procedures need to be made.
While officials are largely refraining from speculation until the National Transportation Safety Board discloses information, some details are emerging.
UH-60 TRAINING FLIGHT
The US Department of Defense has confirmed the rotorcraft involved in the crash was a UH-60 Black Hawk assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion, a VIP transport unit stationed at nearby Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Senior Trump administration officials, including transportation secretary Duffy and defence secretary Pete Hegseth, say the helicopter was conducting a routine training flight along a frequently used helicopter-flight corridor when it collided with the commercial airliner.
“The helicopter was in a standard flight pattern,” Duffy said on 30 January. “If you live in the DC-area, you’ll see helicopters up and down the river.”
“The American Airlines flight coming in to land was in a standard flight pattern as it was coming into [Reagan National],” he adds. “So, this was not unusual.”
Duffy notes that the label “training flight” does not imply the UH-60 pilots were new or inexperienced. The US military routinely conducts training activities to ensure aviators maintain proficiency between operational deployments.
Hegseth describes the Black Hawk crew as “fairly experienced”, noting they were performing an annual night proficiency evaluation flight.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom says lack of experience was also not a factor with the two pilots aboard flight 5342. The flight’s captain had flown for PSA for six years, while the first officer had two years on the job, according to Isom.
“These are experienced pilots,” he notes.
Notably, American has only been operating the route from Wichita, Kansas to Reagan National for approximately one year, according to US Senator Jerry Moran, who represents Kansas.
“I know that flight. I’ve flown it many times myself,” Moran says. “I lobbied American Airlines to begin having a direct nonstop flight service to DCA.”
The incident is now regarded as the USA’s worst commercial aviation disaster since the 2009 Colgan Air crash in Buffalo, New York.
As that grim reality sets in, aviation safety officials in Washington are promising to restore trust in the country’s commercial air system.
“Safety is our expectation,” Duffy says. “Everyone who flies in American skies expects that we fly safely, that when you depart an airport, you get to your destination. That didn’t happen last night.”
