An American Airlines jet passes as police officers escort buses carrying family members of the victims of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter to runway 33 near the wreckage site in the Potomac River at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Sunday, Feb. They also recovered more human remains from the Potomac River, although they declined to offer specifics, reiterating only that 55 of the 67 victims have been found and identified since the crash Wednesday.
Authorities have said the operation to remove the plane will take several days and they will then work to remove the military helicopter involved. More than responders were taking part in the recovery effort at any given time, officials said.
Two Navy barges were also deployed to lift heavy wreckage. Washington, D. Fire Department Assistant Chief Gary Steen told a news briefing that officials are confident all of the victims would be found. Divers and salvage workers are adhering to strict protocols and stopped moving debris at times when human remains were being recovered, said U. Army Corps of Engineers Col. Francis Pera. Portions of the two aircraft that collided over the river Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport — an American Airlines jet with 64 people aboard and an Army Black Hawk helicopter with 3 aboard — are being loaded onto flatbed trucks and will be taken to a hangar for investigation.
The crash occurred when the jet, en route from Wichita, Kansas , was about to land. The Black Hawk was on a training mission. There were no survivors. On Sunday, family members were taken in buses with a police escort to the Potomac River bank near where the two aircraft came to rest after colliding. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita and a group of hunters returning from a guided trip.
Army Staff Sgt. Rebecca M. Lobach , of Durham, North Carolina, were in the helicopter. Federal investigators were working to piece together the events that led to the collision. Full investigations typically take a year or more. Investigators hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days. Experts stress that plane travel is overwhelmingly safe, but the crowded airspace around Reagan Airport can challenge even experienced pilots. The NTSB said Saturday that preliminary data showed conflicting readings about the altitudes of the airliner and the helicopter.
