Recovery efforts continue as investigation into the cause of the crash gets underway.
Deadly Midair Collision Near Washington Claims 67 Lives
Deadly Midair Collision Near Washington Claims 67 Lives
A tragic incident involving an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army helicopter leaves no survivors.
A devastating midair collision occurred near Washington, D.C., yesterday, resulting in the deaths of 67 individuals after an American Airlines jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter. Recovery teams retrieved over two dozen bodies from the frigid waters of the Potomac River following the incident, which has sparked a federal investigation.
The American Airlines flight was transporting 64 passengers when it took off from Wichita, Kansas. Meanwhile, the Army helicopter, carrying three service members, was also involved in the crash, which marks the deadliest aviation disaster involving a commercial jet in the U.S. since 2009. Tragically, officials confirmed there were no survivors from either aircraft.
According to reports, moments before the incident, air traffic controllers instructed the pilots of the American Airlines jet to change their landing route from one runway to another. The command was issued in the context of “not normal” staffing at the airport's control tower, where a single controller was managing both helicopter traffic and incoming planes—an unusual scenario typically requiring two separate controllers.
Passenger lists from the flight revealed that several attendees of recent figure skating events, including both U.S. and Russian athletes, were aboard the ill-fated jet. As investigators piece together the final moments before the crash using maps, graphics, and audio interpretations, the focus remains on understanding how such a tragic confluence of events transpired in U.S. airspace.
The American Airlines flight was transporting 64 passengers when it took off from Wichita, Kansas. Meanwhile, the Army helicopter, carrying three service members, was also involved in the crash, which marks the deadliest aviation disaster involving a commercial jet in the U.S. since 2009. Tragically, officials confirmed there were no survivors from either aircraft.
According to reports, moments before the incident, air traffic controllers instructed the pilots of the American Airlines jet to change their landing route from one runway to another. The command was issued in the context of “not normal” staffing at the airport's control tower, where a single controller was managing both helicopter traffic and incoming planes—an unusual scenario typically requiring two separate controllers.
Passenger lists from the flight revealed that several attendees of recent figure skating events, including both U.S. and Russian athletes, were aboard the ill-fated jet. As investigators piece together the final moments before the crash using maps, graphics, and audio interpretations, the focus remains on understanding how such a tragic confluence of events transpired in U.S. airspace.
