DC plane crash wreckage removal becomes main focus after remains of all 67 victims recovered

Yahoo

05-02-2025

The Brief
All 67 people who were killed in the airplane-helicopter collision last week have been recovered, according to Unified Command.
Wreckage recovery efforts continued Tuesday with more airplane parts removed from the Potomac River.
Recovery efforts will eventually shift to the helicopter wreckage.
WASHINGTON - Every person who died in the aircraft collision last week at Reagan National airport has been recovered as of Tuesday.
According to Unified Command, which is overseeing the recovery efforts, 66 of the remains have been positively identified. Unified Command includes DC Fire and EMS, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police and Fire Departments, fire and police departments across the National Capital Region, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The plane that collided with an Army helicopter last Wednesday night was carrying 64 people, including 60 passengers four crew members. The helicopter was carrying three military personnel.
"Our hearts are with the victims' families as they navigate this tragic loss. We extend our deepest condolences and remain committed to supporting them through this difficult time," a statement from Unified Command read Tuesday.
What's next
With the identification process complete, remaining wreckage from the Potomac River continues to be a focus.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is leading the investigation, confirmed several parts of the airplane have been identified as of Tuesday: right wing, center fuselage, part of the left wing and left fuselage, significant portions of the forward cabin and cockpit, vertical and horizontal stabilizers, tail cone, rudder, elevators, TCAS computer and quick access recorder.
The recovered wreckage will be moved to a secure location for a wreckage layout examination, the NTSB said Tuesday.
NTSB's most recent on-camera briefing was on Saturday. The board said Tuesday, it did not plan to hold any more on-site briefings and would instead, hold the briefings at its headquarters in southwest D.C. At its last briefing Saturday, there was a discrepancy over altitude data from the airplane and helicopter. Data from the jet's flight recorder showed its altitude as 325 feet (99 meters), plus or minus 25 feet (7.6 meters), when the crash happened Wednesday night. Data in the control tower, though, showed the Black Hawk helicopter at 200 feet (61 meters) at the time.
On Tuesday, NTSB provided an update on the helicopter's altitude.
"NTSB has also been provided updated information that shows the air traffic control tower display at DCA is fed by the Potomac TRACON. The TRACON fuses information from multiple radar sensors and ADS-B data, providing the best quality flight track data to air traffic control. This data showed the Black Hawk was at 300 feet on the air traffic control display at the time of the collision. This data is rounded to the nearest 100 feet," a statement Tuesday read.
NTSB added, it needs additional information to verify data points from the Black Hawk helicopter. In order to obtain this information, the helicopter needs to be recovered from the water, which is expected to take place later this week.
Dig deeper
The investigation into the crash includes a number of working groups, including air traffic controllers.
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Associations, said the union is working with the NTSB since a lot of their work is nuanced. Their role is to provide context on the job and various issues, such as staffing.
Current staffing levels are a ten-year low or 79% nationwide, Daniels said.
"We only have 10,800 certified professional controllers that control the skies in America. We also control much of the oceanic space as well. We should have 14,633 in total. That's going to take us approximately 8 years to get to the staffing levels we need today," he said. "The entire national air system, we are having to make different and dynamic decisions based on the number of controllers we have. Having the 14,000-plus will allow us to have the best service possible but also start the modernization Americans deserve."
Daniels did not comment on the specifics of the ongoing investigation, or whether it's too early to potentially list staffing as a cause.
"We'll let NTSB make their determination on it. What we, the air traffic controllers, American workers have been saying….is this is an issue we have been raising, concerned about for a very long time," he said.
Here's What To Do
Reagan National Airport resumed operations at 11 a.m. last Thursday, about 14 hours after the collision. Some travelers FOX 5 spoke with said there was some anxiety returning to the airport.
Lorenzo Norris, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at George Washington University, said anxiety over flying is very common. Norris added, it's normal to feel anxious amid news of the collision.
He recommended looking into what is specifically causing anxious thoughts and reminding yourself why you have to fly, such as a work or personal event.
"Don't let the tragedy and despair stop you from living your life. We're getting more of that now, but you have faced that every day of your life. Every time you leave the house, your car, you name it, every time your loved ones do," he said. "But that's part of life."