Investigators begin sprawling, consequential probe into deadly DC plane crash
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are in the initial stages of what’s setting up to be a sprawling and consequential probe into a deadly, midair crash between a regional passenger jet and a military helicopter just outside D.C. at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
The NTSB is expected to give an update at 2:45 p.m. Thursday on what it’s done so far and what’s to come in its investigation into the Wednesday night crash.
Earlier Thursday, D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly said all 64 people — 60 passengers and four crew members — on board the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, were feared dead.
Passengers on the plane included members of U.S. Figure Skating and of a D.C.-area union, UA Local 602, which represents people who work on heating, air conditioning, refrigeration and process piping.
Three soldiers were on board the Black Hawk helicopter when it collided with the passenger jet, which was preparing to land on Runway 33 at Reagan National. Officials said the bodies of all three have been recovered.
“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” Donnell said. “At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident.”
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, at least 28 bodies had been pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River.
The soldiers involved, military officials said, were conducting a training mission in the helicopter from the 12th Aviation Battalion at Davison Army Airfield in Fort Belvoir. The crew collided with the jet, a Bombardier CRJ700, just after 8:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Both aircraft plunged into the icy Potomac River below, setting off a large-scale rescue mission involving boats, dive teams and a horde of other first responders.
The body of the plane was found in waist-deep water, upside down and split in three sections. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found.
The NTSB is continuing to lead the investigation into the crash, with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration. NTSB accident investigations are thorough, and typically take at least a year to complete.
Timeline of events
WTOP Aviation Reporter Dan Ronan provided a partial reconstruction of the Wednesday events that led to the crash, based on initial flight maps and air traffic control audio:
- 5:18 p.m. — American Airlines Flight 5342, a CRJ 700, takes off from Wichita, Kansas, bound for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
- 8:39:40 p.m. — Army UH-60 helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, takes off on a training exercise with three people aboard, flying up the Potomac River from the area of Langley.
- 8:40 p.m. — Flight 5342 begins approaching Reagan National’s Runway 33 from the south of D.C.
- 8:48:38 p.m. — Air traffic control tower radios the U.S. Army UH-60 helicopter (PAT25) and asks, “Do you have the CRJ in sight?” The helicopter pilot confirms he sees the passenger plane and requests “visual separation” — confirming he is going to try to fly out of the plane’s path.
- 8:48:56 p.m. — Flight 5342 and the helicopter collide over the Potomac at an altitude of about 300 feet, as the plane was traveling about 145 mph, per the last recordings from FlightRadar24.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.