Passenger plane forced to abort landing at DC airport the day before deadly plane crash
Passenger plane forced to abort landing at DC airport the day before deadly plane crash
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Air travelers in DC react to midair collision: 'Anything can happen'
Some travelers at Ronald Reagan National Airport expressed nervousness about flying after the midair collision over the Potomac River.
Just one day before the deadly crash between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter near the nation's capital on Wednesday evening, a passenger jet had to abort its initial landing at Reagan National Airport after a chopper appeared in its flight path, airline officials and radar data confirmed.
FlightAware, a site that tracks flight paths, shows Republic Airways Flight 4514 − bound for the same airport − departed from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut on Thursday at 6:50 p.m. ET.
The town is in Hartford County, just under 15 miles north of the state's capitol.
Upon its first approach, about 7 p.m. ET, the airplane can be seen on radar diverting from its scheduled course, then turning west, circling around, and landing during a second attempt to land at Reagan National Airport.
According to an audio recording from air traffic control, the passenger airliner had to make a second approach "after a helicopter appeared near its flight path," Republic Airways Corporate Communication spokesperson Jon Austin confirmed to USA TODAY on Friday.
The Washington Post first reported the incident.
The mishap came one day before AA Flight 5342 − carrying 60 passengers and four crewmembers − collided with a Black Hawk trying to land at Reagan National Airport. The helicopter had three people on board.
All are feared dead, officials said Thursday.
'He died doing what he absolutely loved' Flight attendant death confirmed in crash
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, which confirmed Thursday that divers had recovered black boxes from the passenger plane.
During a news conference, NTSB member Todd Inman said the military helicopter was also equipped "with some form of recording."
"We feel comfortable and confident" the chopper boxes would be recovered, Inman told reporters Thursday afternoon.
USA TODAY has reached out to the NTSB, the Federal Aviation Administration about Tuesday's reported incident.
Who does the helicopter belong to?
It was not immediately known whether the chopper belonged to the military, a hospital or was a private aircraft.
But the plane reached an altitude of about 1,600 feet during its first descent, FlightAware shows.
At the same time, the airline's spokesperson confirmed audio and flight-tracking data showed the helicopter flew about 300 feet from the ground.
According to audio from LiveATC.net, while approaching runway 19, air traffic control warned the jet about a nearby helicopter.
Republic Airways Flight 4514's landing delayed by less than 10 minutes
FlightAware's log shows the incident caused the flight's landing to be delayed just under 10 minutes.
The plane arrived at the gate at 8:16 p.m., according to the online site.
No injuries were reported.
This is a developing story.
Contributing: USA TODAY's Charles Ventura
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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CBS News
10 minutes ago
- CBS News
Air India plane crash investigation is underway. Here's what we know.
Everything we know about the deadly Air India plane crash Everything we know about the Air India plane crash Everything we know about the Air India plane crash Authorities continued to investigate Friday a day after a large passenger plane with 242 people on board crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, shortly after its departure for London Gatwick Airport. Officials say 241 of the passengers and crew on flight AI171 were confirmed dead, but one passenger survived. Casualties were also reported on the ground. The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, left Ahmedabad Airport at 1:38 p.m. local time. The plane went down minutes later in a residential area, hitting buildings, including the dining area of a medical college, officials said. Although law enforcement initially told reporters that no one on the plane survived, officials later confirmed that one man had survived and was being treated at a local hospital. Here's what we know so far. Air India plane crashes in Ahmedabad The director general of India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, told The Associated Press that flight AI171 crashed five minutes after its departure from Ahmedabad airport. The live tracking site Flight Radar reported receiving a final signal from the aircraft only seconds after it took off. Data collected by Flight Radar showed the jet briefly reaching a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet before beginning to descend at a vertical speed of about 475 feet per minute — a steep dive. Video shared online and verified by CBS News showed the jet low over buildings near the airport, descending toward the ground and disappearing from view. An enormous ball of fire and smoke erupted seconds later. Emergency workers at the scene of an Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, 2024. The airport. This Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner went down shortly after takeoff with 242 people on board. Saurabh Sirohiya/NurPhoto via Getty Images What caused the Air India crash? The cause of Thursday's crash was not immediately clear. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the investigation. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board confirmed it will lead a U.S. team currently heading to India to assist the local authorities. U.S. Federal Aviation Administration officials also said they are deploying teams to India to assist in the investigation alongside the NTSB. "When an international incident occurs, that government leads the investigation," the FAA said in a statement. "In the event assistance is requested, the NTSB is the official U.S. representative and the FAA provides technical support. We stand ready to launch a team immediately in coordination with the NTSB." Air India and Boeing said they are prepared to cooperate and support the investigation. In videos of the crash, the plane appeared to have its landing gear down and flaps up at a time in the flight when those should have been reversed, said CBS News aviation safety analyst Robert Sumwalt, a former chairman of the NTSB. Aviation consultant John M. Cox told the AP the aircraft had its nose up and was not climbing, which investigators are expected to look at. "At this point, it's very, very, very early, we don't know a whole lot," he said. "But the 787 has very extensive flight data monitoring — the parameters on the flight data recorder are in the thousands — so once we get that recorder, they'll be able to know pretty quickly what happened." One of the so-called "black boxes" — the flight data and cockpit voice recorders — was recovered from the wreckage, an Indian aviation official said Friday. "I think these are going to unlock the mystery of this accident, so it's critical to get these black boxes and get them read out," Sumwalt said. This illustration shows the path of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport in western India on June 12, 2025. Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images India's civil aviation minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said he was "shocked and devastated" by the crash. "We are on highest alert," Kinjarapu wrote in a social media post. "I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "the tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us" and called it "heartbreaking beyond words." Map shows where Air India plane crashed The Air India crash happened in the city of Ahmedabad, near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, where the plane had departed. Ahmedabad is located in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Map shows location of Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, 2025. Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images The victims — and survivor — of the Air India crash Air India said in a statement that 241 people on the plane died in the crash. "The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital," the airline said. The passengers of the plane were identified as 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national, Air India said. The lone survivor was later identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, who had been listed as the passenger in seat 11A on the flight manifest shared by Indian authorities. "Everything happened in front of my eyes," Ramesh said in an interview with Indian media from his hospital bed. "I don't believe how I survived. For some time I thought I was also going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape." The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash, Vishawashkumar Ramesh, is interviewed from his hospital bed in Ahmedabad. Doordashan/Reuters Dr. Dhaval Gameti at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital told the AP that while Ramesh "was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body ... he seems to be out of danger." At least five medical students died when part of the plane hit the dining area of B.J. Medical College, Divyansh Singh, the vice president of the Federation of All India Medical Association told the AP. Singh said almost 50 people who were in the building are injured — some critically. "We are in close contact with our peers in the hospital who are on a lookout for more people feared buried in the debris," he said. The Indian Army was assisting civil authorities in combing through the debris and helping to treat the injured, the AP reported. London Gatwick Airport said it was working with Air India to establish hotlines for relatives of flight AI171's passengers. "London Gatwick is liaising closely with Air India and a reception centre for relatives of those on board is being set up where information and support will be provided," airport officials said in a statement. "British nationals who require consular assistance or have concerns about friends or family should call 020 7008 5000. Air India have set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information." Spotlight on Boeing The Air India crash appeared to be the first involving a Boeing Dreamliner, according to the company's statistical summary of commercial jet accidents between 1954 and 2024. The aircraft manufacturer has described this model as the aviation industry's "best-selling passenger widebody of all time." "We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected," a spokesperson for Boeing said in a statement to CBS News several hours after the incident. On Wall Street, shares of Boeing fell $15.34, or 7.2%, to $198.66 in pre-market trading.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Seat 11A and How Just One Man Could Survive Air India Plane Crash—by Expert
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. An Air India plane carrying 242 people that crashed on takeoff from Ahmedabad in northwestern India on Thursday is the latest in a series of deadly plane crashes that shocked the world in recent months. The latest plane crash killed all but one person onboard—a 40-year-old British national who managed to escape through an emergency exit. The crash occurred as the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft bound for London, the capital of the United Kingdom, attempted to lift off. Authorities confirmed that the lone survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was seated in 11A and is now recovering in hospital after sustaining impact injuries. Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg said in statement on Wednesday: "Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad." Describing how he managed to jump from the plane's emergency exit and walk away from the wreckage, Ramesh said: "It all happened so quickly." Such a scenario, with a sole survivor, is extremely rare in aviation history. How can this be even possible? Stock image: Empty plane seats on near a window. Stock image: Empty plane seats on near a window. Getty How Rare Is It for There To Be One Survivor in a Plane Crash? While some plane accidents are survivable, the likelihood of having a single survivor is extremely low. Professor Graham Braithwaite FRAeS, the director of aerospace and aviation at Cranfield University in the U.K., told Newsweek: "There have been cases in the past of one or a very small number of survivors in very serious accidents," but it is "very rare" for there to be only one. Braithwaite explained that this is "partly because aircraft accidents are very rare and partly because the majority of aircraft accidents are survivable." He added that "it is impossible" to calculate the odds of there being only a sole survivor, as it depends on "which aircraft types you include and whether you include non-fatal accidents and incidents." A July 2023 study published in the European Chemical Bulletin noted that air travel remains one of the safest forms of transportation, with a survival rate of 90 percent and continued improvements. The study cited pilot mistakes, crew communication problems, and coordination issues among the key factors in fatal crashes. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stresses that the key to reducing fatalities is two-fold: "Preventing accidents and protecting occupants involved in accidents." According to an updated NTSB report on U.S. airline operations under Part 121 of the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which covers large aircraft operated by airlines and cargo carriers, "between 1983 and 2000, about 95 percent of aircraft occupants involved in accidents survived," the NTSB said. In serious crashes—those involving a pre- or post-crash fire, a serious injury or fatality, or a substantially damaged or destroyed aircraft—more than half survived. Among the 35 serious U.S. crashes from 1983 to 2017 that met the aforementioned criteria for serious crashes, 28.6 percent saw all occupants survive, while 25.7 percent resulted in no survivors, the NTSB said. Even in these severe cases, 59 percent of occupants survived. For those fatally injured, the most common cause of death was impact forces. Parts of an Air India plane that crashed on Thursday are seen on top of a building in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, June 13, 2025. Parts of an Air India plane that crashed on Thursday are seen on top of a building in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, June 13, 2025. AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool Seat 11A—Did the Passenger's Seat Help His Survival? Ramesh's seat assignment, 11A, raises questions about whether his location may have aided his survival. Braithwaite cautioned that such speculation is difficult without full evidence. "Without evidence from the accident site, then this would be pure conjecture. Even when investigators examine the scene, they may not be able to answer that question as it will have changed as a result of the fire and rescue efforts," he said. The professor noted that the sole survivor of the Air India crash escaped through a damaged section of the fuselage, crawling onto a building. According to Braithwaite, this relative position in relation to the wreckage may have been a key factor. He said: "It could even be that the thing that made all the difference was where it was relative to the wrecked building." Ultimately, he said: "While the design of the aircraft may have helped including the seatbelt, it may have been pure chance that dictated why it was him and not someone else." Do Some Plane Seats Have a Higher Chance of Surviving a Crash? When it comes to whether certain seats are inherently safer, the answer is complex. "It's such a hard question to answer," Braithwaite said. He added: "While it is of no consolation to those affected by the tragic accident which has occurred yesterday, the simple answer is that all seats on modern jet aircraft are incredibly safe. The accident record proves that, especially compared to other modes of transport like driving." Braithwaite explained that safety is built into many aspects of aviation. The professor noted that "many things go into designing aircraft, airspace, airports, procedures and training." International standards and recommended practices shared by the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association and other groups have "helped to reduce the likelihood of an aircraft being involved in an accident and also increase the likelihood of survival," he added. Seat design and materials also play a crucial role. "The design of the seat and even the fixtures around them must meet strict crashworthiness standards as well as flammability standards," he said. Additionally, regulations govern "the space around exits and the distance between a seat and an exit." Braithwaite also pointed out the human factor in survivability. "We shouldn't forget the role of the cabin crew too—essential in an emergency where we know their commands can make all the difference," he said. Do you have a travel-related story to share? Let us know via life@ and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
What luck! Today is only Friday 13th this year. What to know about this 'unlucky' day
What luck! Today is only Friday 13th this year. What to know about this 'unlucky' day Did you know it's the unluckiest day of year? But luckily for us, it's the only Friday the 13th in 2025. So, Good morning Friday the 13th! Some people consider the day an extremely unlucky day, which can land as often as three times a year on the calendar. Why is it so unlucky? Some point references in the Bible. A couple of the bad omens: ◾ Judas, the 13th person at the Last Supper in the Bible, is believed to have betrayed Jesus. ◾ Friday: Several unsettling events occurred on the day, including Jesus' crucifixion. There are other reasons to worry about 13 beyond the Bible. According to Norse mythology, Loki, the 13th guest, interrupted the gods' dinner party by plunging the world into darkness. When is the next Friday 13th? Typically, there are just two per year. Luckily, there will only be one in 2025. However, there will be three in 2026, which might be an especially unsettling year for some. Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them. More: Friday the 13th is here. Here's why people think it's unlucky. Does the number 13 frighten some people? If Friday the 13th worries you, others share your fear. It's possible that you have triskaidekaphobia, or a phobia of the number 13. But if the number 13 only terrifies you on Fridays, you may have paraskevidekatriaphobia, or the fear of Friday the 13th. According to an online survey by Americans think walking under a ladder brings more bad luck than Friday the 13th. For most people, fearing Friday the 13th is a harmless superstition – something we may playfully pretend to fear. At the same time, it wouldn't hurt to toss some salt over your shoulder on Friday or keep your eyes open for a penny on the sidewalk. This story previously ran on Dec. 12 and has been updated to add new information. CONTRIBUTING Jim Sergent/USA TODAY
