Authorities continue to investigate a collision in the middle between the American Airlines airline and an army helicopter, in which the plane fell into the Ice River Potomak near Washington, Reagan’s National Airport on Wednesday night.
It is estimated that all 67 passengers, crew members and members of the Army Service have died.
Here’s what we know so far.
How did it happen?
USA Regional Airline Airlines, which transports 60 passengers and four crew members traveling from Wich, is the moments of landing when it is confronted with the Blackhawk army helicopter carrying three members of the US service shortly before 21:00 S
Video footage of the incident shows that the aircraft is flying at low altitude before an explosion occurs at the time of impact. Aviation expert John Cox told the NPR that the airspace around Reagan National Airport is especially challenging for pilots and air traffic controllers due to the amount of air traffic.
Defense Minister Pete Heget said Blackhouk was being used to train at the time.
The National Transport Safety Council is investigating the incident and has not indicated a reason.
“We will not determine the probable cause of the accident while we are here on the spot, nor will we speculate on what this incident may have caused,” J. Todd Inman, NTSB member.
The agency said it would carry out a thorough and accurate investigation into the incident and provide a preliminary report over the next 30 days.
On Thursday, the agency said it had removed both black boxes from the American Airlines aircraft. The black boxes record conversations and other sounds that happen in the cockpit, as well as the appropriate data on the aircraft and fields. NTSB will use them to bring together what happened in the moments leading to the remains.
Passengers and Crew members begin to identify
As of Thursday morning, employees said 28 of 67 people had been restored from the Potomak River.
More than a dozen of passengers were figure skaters, coaches or family members, according to the Boston skating club, who sent several members of their team members to the Wichita Championship for figures of the figures in 2025.
The Russian world championship figures Vadim Naumov and Evgeniy Shishkova were also aboard.
President Trump raises the question of whether Dei’s policies are to blame
Currently, after the crash, President Trump said he had been informed of the incident and offered his condolences.
The next day, he suggested in the press remarks, without suggesting evidence that defective night vision glasses or policies for diversity, justice and inclusion could play a role in the clash.
A reporter asked how a conclusion could be achieved about Dei’s relevance so early in the investigation, to which the president said, “Because I have common sense, well? And unfortunately, many people don’t. We want the people who do this brilliantly. ”
Trump also said that Americans should not be afraid to fly.
“This is something that – many years have passed since something like that happened. The collision is just something we don’t expect to happen again,” he said.
The last major commercial crash accident, including a passenger plane in the United States, was in 2009 when a Colgan Air flight crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing 50 people.
Other politicians also offered their condolences.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said: “Our hearts and our prayers come out to all families and loved ones affected by this horrific collision. I am very proud of our first responses in DC and throughout the region that continue to recover efforts.”
“This is a time when we will have to join the weapons and help each other,” said Senator Roger Marshall, R.-Kan. “We have experienced such things before, through tornado and floods and things, but it is really difficult when you lose probably over 60 Kansan at the same time.”
Former President Joe Biden said: “Jill and I pray for the victims of victims who have tragically lost their lives on the plane and a helicopter crash near the DCA. We are extremely grateful to the brave first responding and emergency officers of the accident. ”
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