A passenger plane that was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington DC collided with an army helicopter, the temperature of the scene was very low and it was night time, so the rescue was very difficult.
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At least 67 people were killed in a plane crash in Washington, DC, on Thursday morning. A bomber CRJ 700 jet that was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington DC crashed into the Potomac River after a mid-air collision with an army helicopter.
PSA Airlines, a subsidiary company of American Airlines flying from Wichita, Kansas with 60 passengers and 4 crew members collided with a US Army helicopter while landing on 'Runway-33'. An army Sikorsky 'Black Hawk' helicopter carrying three soldiers was on a training flight, a military official was quoted as saying. American media organization Associated Press (AP) reported that all those on the plane and helicopter died.
Officials said rescue operations were hampered by darkness, high-speed winds and cold weather. US media cited John A. Donnelly Sr., chief of fire and emergency medical services in Washington, DC, as saying that no passengers were likely to be found alive in the crash.
Donnelly says that the temperature at the scene was very low and because it was night time, the rescue was very difficult. According to him, about 300 emergency rescuers, police divers and boats have been mobilized in the rescue operation. The neighboring state of Maryland has also helped in the search and rescue operation.
According to US Figure Skating, the American regulatory body of figure skating, some skating players, coaches and their relatives were traveling on the plane. They were returning home from an event in Wichita.
According to the Russian news agency TASS, there were two Russian figure skaters and a coach on the plane.
According to the US Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FAA), the PSA plane, which was preparing to land at 9 pm local time on Wednesday, crashed into the Potomac River after colliding with a helicopter. After colliding with the helicopter, the plane broke into two pieces and fell into the river. According to the local media, the helicopter that was involved in the accident was intact, but it was thrown into the river.
The helicopter that collided with the plane took off from Fort Belvoir in the state of Virginia. US officials said the incident is under investigation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has also said that it will assist in the investigation. After the crash, Ronald Reagan Airport was closed and incoming flights were diverted to Dallas International Airport.
According to CNN, shortly before the accident, the air traffic controller at Ronald Reagan Airport questioned whether the military helicopter had seen an American Airlines passenger plane. Air traffic control warned the helicopter again.
After the warning given by air traffic control, the helicopter driver did not respond and it is said that the helicopter and the plane collided within a few seconds. US President Donald Trump praised the immediate response to the horrific accident and the emergency rescue efforts. "I am monitoring the situation and will provide details as soon as I get more information," he said.
According to American media, Trump has questioned how the accident happened, saying it was avoidable. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also said the accident was avoidable. We are waiting for detailed information. "But from what I've seen so far, this accident was preventable," Duffy said.
It is said that the crew of PSA 5342, a subsidiary of American Airlines, has very experienced members. "The two pilots of the plane were not new to complex commercial flights," said Robert Isom, the chief executive officer (CEO) of American Airlines, "They are very experienced pilots." In February 2009, a Continental Airlines passenger plane from Newark, New Jersey, crashed while landing at Buffalo Airport in New York. 49 people died in the accident.
On January 15, 2009, a US Airways Airbus A-320 taking off from New York's LaGuardia Airport collided with a flock of birds, causing problems with both engines. The pilot then made an emergency landing in the nearby Hudson River.
The lives of 155 people on board the plane were saved in that incident. Likewise, in November 2001, an American Airlines plane crashed as soon as it took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. 265 people died in the plane crash that was flying to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
