New photos have been shared of the wreckage of an American Airlines plane that crashed in Washington D.C. on January 29, as the investigation gets underway.
The commercial jet, which had 60 passengers and four crew members on board, was involved in a mid-air collision with a military Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers as it came in to land at Reagan National Airport.
Security footage saw flames erupt as the two aircraft collided in the air, before both plummeted into the icy Potomac River below, leaving no survivors.
A search and rescue operation was immediately launched but it was tragically confirmed that all 67 people were dead, and their bodies were recovered from the waters.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating the circumstances that led to the fatal event and has now shared an update with the public.
It has revealed that the “major pieces” of the American Airlines plane as well as the Black Hawk helicopter have been recovered and transported to a “secure airport facility for further examination and documentation”.
It added in a press release shared on Saturday: “Investigators will be looking for witness marks on the aircraft that could provide clues to the angle of collision.
“Teams also recovered the [passenger jet’s] Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and retrieved additional avionics from the Black Hawk.”
The deadly crash occurred as the helicopter was undertaking a training mission to re-qualify the pilots to be able to fly in the area, which is something they’d done several times before, deputy director of aviation for the Army Col. Mark Ott confirmed.
Audio had been released from air traffic control in which an operator was heard warning the helicopter to look out for the jet moments before the collision.
While the cause of the deadly crash is still to be determined, some experts have speculated that the pilots may have had their vision obscured by night-vision goggles, which could have caused the lights from the jet to blend into those of the city around it.
As well as recovering the main parts of the wreckage, the NTSB confirmed in its press release: “A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration TopoBathy lidar survey from a manned NOAA aircraft was conducted this morning and identified multiple underwater targets that could be additional aircraft debris. Divers investigated those targets today and will continue that work this week.”
American Airlines flight 5342 had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, and was just moments from landing in Washington D.C. when the tragedy occurred.
The plane had also been carrying several figure skaters and their family members and coaches at the time.
Loved ones of many of the passengers had been in the airport waiting to collect them when the alarm was raised that an incident had occurred.
Our thoughts remain with all those affected by this tragedy.
