Deadly US Plane Crash with Dodens on Board: What do we know so far? Aviation news

Many people were killed after hitting an army helicopter in an American airline plane while landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Columbia district.

American Airlines said on Thursday that 60 passengers and four crew members were riding on a jet from Kansas to the US capital from Wichita, Kansas.

An anonymous army official confirmed that a training flight was carrying the helicopter, three soldiers, who had left from Fort Belveer in Virginia.

After the collision, both aircraft fell into the Potomac River. Inflatable rescue boats were launched, and the rescue team used light towers to illuminate the site.

Washington, DC Fire Head John Donley said it was a “highly complex operation”.

“Conditions are extremely fat for respondents.”

DC Mayor Muril Boseer also reported a news conference at the airport that rescue efforts were running to “recover fellow citizens”.

Here we know about the accident:

What happened and when?

Local time at around 9 pm (02:00 GMT), an inbound American Airlines aircraft (Udaan 5342), which was produced by Canadian firm Bombardier, collided with a Sikorski Black Hawk Army helicopter, as it reached near Ronald Reagan Airport, Potomac South -West of DC located on the banks of the river.

Prior to Scheduled Landing, air traffic controllers asked the pilots if they could land on runway 33, and flight tracking sites revealed that the pilots adjusted their flight paths to align with the request.

Less than 30 seconds before the accident, an air traffic controller asked the army helicopter if he could watch the upcoming aircraft.

“PAT25 (Army Helicopter), do you have a CRJ (American Airlines aircraft)? PAT25, passes behind the CRJ, “an air traffic controller said at 8:47 pm (ET on Wednesday, 01:47 GMT on Thursday).

At the time of the accident, air traffic controllers were heard saying, “Crash, crash, crash, this is one alert three.”

“I only saw a fire ball and then it was just gone. Ever since they collide with the river, I have not seen anything. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that became a hit, “another controller said.

Washington showed images from a midar collision on a webcam at John F. Kennedy Center for performing art at DC, exploding two aircraft in flames and dropping into the Potomac River.

John Potter, CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said the airport would be closed at least 11 am (16:00 GMT).

What do we know about the victims?

The governing skating body said that many of the 60 passengers in the aircraft were American ice skates, family members, and the coaches were returning from a camp after a figure skating competition. Three people of the helicopter were considered all soldiers.

CBI, CBS News, citing a law enforcement officer familiar with the investigation, said that the bodies of at least 30 people have been recovered. US government officials have not mentioned anything about the remaining people.

Russian state news agency Tass said that former figure skating world champions andgenia Sheeshkova and Wadim Naomov were among those killed.

Kremlin expressed his condolences to the families of the Russian victims of the accident.

“Our other fellow citizens on the board were. Today is bad news from Washington. We are sorry and send their condolences to families and friends, ”Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov told reporters.

While no official death has been announced, the American senator Roger Marshal of Canasus, from where the flight originated, suggested the most, if not all, they were killed on the board.

At a news conference at Reagan Airport, he said, “This is really difficult when you probably lose 60 Kansan together,” he told at a news conference at Reagan Airport.

Dan Deppodwin, senior director of the forecasting operation of Accuweather, told The Reuters News Agency that Hypothermia is a matter of concern for anyone, which would have survived the accident after the aircraft fell into the river.

“At the temperature of these horrific water, the main temperature of the human body falls quickly. Exhaustion or unconsciousness can be reduced by 15 to 30 minutes, ”Deppodwin said.

What is a black hawk helicopter?

Sikorky Black Hawk Helicopter is a military transport aircraft used by the Navy, Air Force and Coastguard.

Aerospace company Intergalactic stated that the aircraft can carry four crew members and “11 to 14 fully armed soldiers … or 20 lightly equipped passengers”.

What have the officials said?

President Donald Trump questioned the works of the army helicopter in a post on truth social.

“The helicopter was going directly to the airplane for an extended period of time. This is a clear night, the lights on the aircraft were burning, why the helicopter did not go up or down, or turned, ”Trump wrote.

“The control tower did not tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they see the aircraft. This is a bad condition that seems to have been stopped. Not good !!!, ”he said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X that an inquiry will be launched “immediately” in the cause of the incident by the Army and Defense Department.

CEO Tod Curtis, CEO of the consultancy firm airsafe.com, told Al Jazira that the collision was “very unusual”.

Kartis, a former airline security engineer from Boeing, said, “The Washington National Airport, where the event was held, is the most busy in the country and is very well managed by air control.”

“It is surprising for me that there is something that is regular for the army, somehow ended in a tragedy. I suspect that there are many things that were wrong to do so, ”he said.