Helicopter black box and 41 bodies recovered; Army identifies 2 soldiers: DC crash recap
Editor's note: This page reflects news from Friday, Jan. 31. For the latest updates on the plane crash, please read Paste BN's coverage of the investigation on Saturday, Feb. 1.
WASHINGTON – Search crews recovered 41 bodies from the Potomac River after the collision of a passenger plane and a U.S. Army helicopter killed 67 people in the deadliest aviation disaster in over two decades, officials said.
National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said in a news briefing Friday evening that the helicopter’s black box has been recovered and appears to be in good condition. NTSB officials had confirmed Thursday that the two black boxes from the airplane were secured. All of the recorders were at NTSB sites for evaluation.
John Donnelly, the chief of Washington’s fire department, said 28 of the victims have been positively identified, and officials have spoken with 18 of their families. He said he expects all of the bodies to be recovered, but said he does not know how long the full recovery operation will take.
"We're working as fast as we can," he said at a news conference, adding that he hopes for the arrival of "better salvage equipment" on Saturday so crews can remove the passenger plane and helicopter from the water and retrieve the rest of the bodies.
Meanwhile, the Army has identified two of the soldiers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter as Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland. The name of the third soldier is being withheld at the request of the family, the Army said.
In addition to the soldiers, the victims of Wednesday's collision include a pilot who was planning to be married in the fall, a student heading back to college after a funeral, an attorney returning home on her birthday, a Philippine police colonel, a group of teenage figure skaters as well as their parents and coaches, and two Chinese citizens.
FAA restricts helicopter routes near Reagan National Airport
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday began restricting helicopter traffic around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the aftermath of the deadly collision.
The Department of Transportation said the restriction exempts helicopters that need to enter the airspace for “lifesaving medical support, active law enforcement, active air defense, or presidential transport.”
The restricted area over the Potomac River stretches roughly from the Memorial Bridge to the Wilson Bridge. The Department of Transportation said officials will reassess the restriction after the National Transportation Safety Board has completed its preliminary investigation of Wednesday’s crash.
“This is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding our nation’s skies and upholding the highest standards of air travel safety," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. "We will continue to support President Trump’s directive to achieve uncompromised aviation safety. The American people deserve full confidence in our aviation system and today’s action is a significant step towards restoring that trust.”
Air space is typically crowded around the Washington area, home to three commercial airports and multiple military bases. The Potomac corridor in particular is busy with airliners and helicopters.
FAA reveals staffing of tower at Reagan National Airport
The Federal Aviation Administration said Reagan National Airport currently employs 25 certified professional controllers and three certified professional controllers in training.
The tower is authorized to have 28 controllers, the agency said.
Those in training "were previously fully certified at other facilities," according to the FAA.
Hegseth says it's unknown if helicopter pilots used night-vision goggles
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said investigators were working to determine who was piloting the Black Hawk helicopter at the time of the crash, whether the crew used their night-vision goggles and what, if any, "confusion was there at the end.”
The three-person Army crew was on a "routine" training that was part of a continuity of government program, said Hegseth in a Friday morning appearance on "Fox and Friends."
Hegseth said the military conducts such trainings to prepare for a national emergency in which officials would need to be quickly evacuated. He said while it's important to "rehearse in ways that would reflect a real world scenario" it is also important that the Army and Department of Defense mitigate risk, "especially when it's around civilian aircraft."
He said the black box from the helicopter will give them “a sense of internal communications" leading up to the collision.
When will we know what the black boxes say?
Federal investigators recovered black boxes from American Airlines flight 5342 and the Black Hawk helicopter to help determine what caused the midair collision.
The recorders were sent for evaluation to NTSB labs, where investigators began the delicate work of retrieving what's inside.
A plane’s "black boxes," designed to be indestructible and usually stored in the aircraft’s tail section, collect information on communications involving pilots in cockpits and how aircraft systems perform in flight, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The Federal Aviation Administration requires large commercial aircraft and some smaller commercial, corporate and private planes to have two black boxes. The first is the cockpit voice recorder, containing conversations between crew members and air traffic control and even engine noises. The second is the flight data recorder, which monitors operating conditions such as altitude, airspeed and heading.NTSB declined to comment about when information it is finding from the recorders will be shared with the public.– Eduardo Cuevas
Scene at Washington airport two days after deadly collision
Travelers are making their way through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as usual on Friday after the airport shut down in the wake of a deadly collision between a passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter this week.The airport reopened Thursday, but hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. On Friday, there were few signs of the chaos in the aftermath of the deadly collision except the presence of reporters and a few National Transportation Safety Board workers in both terminals.
Vice president and airport manager Terrence “Terry” Liercke said at a news briefing Friday afternoon that two of three runways were closed due to the proximity of the crash site where recovery operations were underway. On a typical day, Liercke said the airport operates about 800 flights on a full schedule.
Earlier Friday, a temporary ground stop was issued at Reagan National Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said departures were “grounded due to airport volume" until 8:45 a.m.
– N'Dea Yancey-Bragg
Plane forced to abort landing at DC airport the day before deadly collision
Just one day before the deadly crash, a passenger jet had to abort its initial landing at Reagan National Airport after another military chopper appeared in its flight path, airline officials and radar data confirmed.
FlightAware, a site that tracks flight paths, shows Republic Airways Flight 4514 − bound for the same airport − departed from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut on Thursday at 6:50 p.m. ET. The town is in Hartford County, just under 15 miles north of the state's capital.
Upon its first approach, about 8 p.m. ET, the airplane can be seen on radar diverting from its scheduled course, then turning west, circling around, and landing in a second attempt. The crew "initiated a go-around at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in response to an onboard alert that a military helicopter was nearby," a Federal Aviation Administration told Paste BN on Friday.
"Air traffic controllers issued traffic advisories to both aircraft and the military helicopter crew reported they had the Republic aircraft in sight," an FAA spokesperson said. "There was no loss of required separation between the aircraft."
− Natalie Neysa Alund
President Donald Trump says helicopter was ‘flying too high’
President Donald Trump continued speculating on the cause of the crash on Friday, writing on Truth Social that the helicopter was flying “too high.”
“The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???” he said. As with his remarks on Thursday, he did not provide evidence to support his claims.
The NTSB has only recently begun an investigation into the cause of the crash. A preliminary report on the incident is expected within 30 days of the collision, officials said.
Federal mortuary, mental health teams deployed after plane-helicopter crash
In the wake of the collision near Reagan National Airport, a team of federal forensic specialists and medical examiners has been deployed to help local officials as they pull bodies out the Potomac River and work to identify the remains.
At the request of the NTSB, the Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) has begun offering services to the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, including the collection of medical records, DNA samples and fingerprints.
DMORT provides medical examiners, pathologists, forensic odontologists, dental assistants, funeral directors and other experts for “technical assistance and personnel to recover and identify the remains of disaster victims," the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response said in a statement.
Immediately after the accident the administration deployed tactical medical providers to support emergency responders, along with experts from ASPR’s Disaster Behavioral Health Team. "The team conducted a rapid behavioral health needs assessment which (DC) officials will use to put resources in place to support the family member’s behavioral health needs," ASPR said.
The agency “is honored to provide the additional hands and expertise that local, state, and federal authorities request during a tragedy like this,” said John Knox, the principal deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response.
Mourning in the 'air capital' of the world
The devastating plane and helicopter collision has drawn Wichita − known globally as the "air capital of the world" − and its aviation roots into the national spotlight.
For residents of Wichita, where American Eagle flight 5342 departed from, the ramifications of the crash run deep. Many of the city's half million residents are employed by the aviation industry, and those who aren't still feel connected through Wichita's key role in the history of aviation.
During the '20s, the city’s 16 manufacturers built more than 120 planes on a weekly basis, according to the city’s visitor’s bureau. Currently, Textron Aviation, which manufactures Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft, is headquartered in Wichita, as is Spirit AeroSystems – the manufacturing arm of Boeing. Spirit AeroSystems and Textron Aviation are two of the city’s largest employers.
"This is a terrible tragedy that will unite those in Washington, D.C., and Wichita, Kansas, forever," Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said during an emotional news conference.
− Alice Mannette
Philippine National Police official among victims in collision
A Philippine National Police official was aboard the doomed passenger plane, the agency announced Friday.
A spokesperson said in a news briefing that Col. Pergentino Malabed, who served as the chief of the supply management division, was killed in the midair collision.
Malabed was “on official travel at the time of the incident, fulfilling his duty as a dedicated police officer − committed to the service of protecting and securing both the PNP and the nation,” the agency said in a statement.
“His untimely passing is a profound loss to the PNP, where he served with honor, integrity, and dedication throughout his career,” the Philippine National Police said. “We extend our deepest condolences to his bereaved family, loved ones, and colleagues. The PNP is committed to providing them with all necessary support during this difficult time.”
Donald Trump's comments on deadly plane-helicopter crash
Speaking from the White House, Trump on Thursday speculated on the cause of the crash, questioning the position of the helicopter and blaming the tragedy on his two Democratic predecessors and their emphasis on diversity in hiring, which he claimed had lowered standards for air traffic controllers.
"The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website," he said without proving evidence backing up his claims that Biden- and Obama-era hiring practices and diversity initiatives are to blame for the crash or that race/ethnicity, gender or ability was related or responsible.
The president also said the helicopter crew "should have seen where they were going" and asked, "What was the helicopter doing in that track?"
"You had a pilot problem from the standpoint of the helicopter because it was, it was a very clear night," Trump said. An official cause of the crash has not been identified.
− Michael Collins, Bart Jansen, Joey Garrison and Deborah Barfield Berry
Air traffic control staffing under scrutiny
The staffing at Reagan National Airport at the time of the collision is drawing intense scrutiny after multiple news outlets reported a single air traffic controller was responsible for directing helicopters and commercial airliners. The New York Times and NBC News reported that an FAA report that said those tasks are typically split between two staffers.
Reagan National Airport is home to the busiest runway in the country. And in recent years, shortages of air traffic controllers, near collisions and the addition of more direct flights at the airport has fueled safety concerns.
In response to a request for comment, the FAA referred questions to the NTSB, which is leading the investigation. "We cannot comment on any aspect of open investigations," the FAA said in an email. "The FAA will quickly take any actions necessary based on evidence from the investigation."
Contributing: Reuters