No Survivors Expected on Tragic Midair Collision Between Passenger Jet and Army Helicopter

Authorities have confirmed that no survivors are expected after a tragic midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night. Fire Chief John Daniels announced Thursday that all 67 individuals on board the two aircraft are presumed dead, marking a devastating loss of life.

Recovery Efforts Underway

Emergency teams have transitioned their efforts from rescue to recovery after locating 28 bodies so far. Officials are optimistic that all victims will eventually be accounted for. The passenger jet was carrying 64 people, while the helicopter had three soldiers onboard.

The crash has sent shockwaves across the nation, particularly in the figure skating community, as several prominent athletes were confirmed to be on the jet. U.S. Figure Skating has stated that multiple members of their community were among the victims. In addition, Russia’s state news agency confirmed that two world-champion figure skaters from Russia were also passengers on the plane.

Support for Victims’ Families

Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita, Kansas, where the American Airlines flight departed from on Wednesday evening, has activated its family incident support team.

“Airport staff did activate our family incident support team last night, so if family members did show up to the terminal to have additional information, even for support, we were there with them with our team of volunteers along with other airline staff and representatives,” said airport director Jesse Romo during a Thursday morning news conference. American Airlines is also sending more support personnel to Wichita to assist families and crew members, Wichita Mayor Lily Wu confirmed.

Jet Left Wichita Without Issues

According to Jesse Romo, the passenger jet took off from Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport without any operational concerns. “To our knowledge, everything occurred as normal,” he told reporters. Passengers with scheduled flights this week between Wichita and Reagan National Airport have been advised to contact American Airlines for updates.

A Tragedy Linking Two Cities

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu shared her condolences, stating that this tragedy would forever unite Wichita and Washington, D.C., in their grief.

“The American Airlines jet carrying 64 people had departed Wednesday from Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport before colliding over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter,” Wu said. “We mourn with all those who have been impacted. This is a terrible tragedy that will unite those in Washington, D.C., and Wichita, Kansas, forever.”

Concerns About Congested Airspace

Some U.S. senators who had previously voiced concerns about airspace congestion near Reagan National Airport have refrained from directly linking it to the collision at this time.

“We have raised this issue continuously. We’ve got very busy airspace,” Senator Mark Warner said on Thursday. “I think we will ask questions, but at the appropriate time. We are in this period right now where families are being notified. We’re trying to figure out what happened.”

Senator Tim Kaine echoed this sentiment, stating, “We’ve been pretty plain about our concerns, but it isn’t a good time to speculate right now. We have faith that the NTSB will provide the answers about this.”

Deadliest U.S. Aviation Disaster Since 2001

This collision marks the deadliest aviation disaster in the United States since November 12, 2001, when an American Airlines flight crashed in New York, killing all 260 people onboard.

Transition from Rescue to Recovery

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the grim outlook on Thursday, stating, “There are not believed to be any survivors from the midair collision.” He also noted that military aircraft regularly operate in the area. “This was not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at DCA,” he added.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom suggested that the military helicopter may have been at fault. “At this time, we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft,” he said.

Experienced Pilots Were Operating the Aircraft

Robert Isom emphasized the qualifications of the passenger jet’s pilots. “These are experienced pilots,” he said. “I know that the captain had almost six years with PSA (Airlines), and the first officer almost two years.”

Duffy added context about the military pilots, saying, “We call these missions that are flown in the D.C. area as our pilots are getting hours and experience training missions.”

Collision Was “Absolutely” Preventable

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy strongly expressed that the collision could have been avoided. “We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but … what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” he said. His comment echoed a statement made by President Donald Trump on social media, where he also indicated the crash “should have been prevented.”