Latest news with #HeatherChairez
Washington Post
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Army suspends helicopter flights to Pentagon after airliners abort landings
The Army said Monday that a Virginia-based helicopter unit was suspending flights to the Pentagon after an incident last week that led to two airliners being directed to abort landings at Reagan National Airport. Army spokeswoman Heather Chairez said the service's 12th Aviation Battalion was suspending the operations until an internal inquiry is completed. The battalion operates a fleet of Black Hawk helicopters and was the unit involved in the Jan. 29 midair crash with an American Airlines flight that killed 67 people.
CBS News
30-01-2025
- General
- CBS News
D.C. residents arriving in Miami express sadness over loss of life in aircraft crash
MIAMI - Residents of the Washington, D.C. area, who arrived at Miami International Airport late Thursday morning, expressed sadness for the loss of life in a midair crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night. One woman, who did want to be identified in this report, said she was up all night watching the news to see if she knew anyone involved in the crash. "I have two kids that I just found out from my daughter's high school that were on the flight. We have other friends who lost a family member, so it's extremely tragic and it was very, very hard to get on a plane this morning," she said. She said she feels for the families that lost loved ones. "Sadness and just empathy for these families that, out of nowhere, lost a loved one and the loss of hope really quickly, know how dark and cold and icy the water was. It was a long night for all of us," she said. She said it would take the Washington, D.C. area a long time to recover from this. District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly told reporters in a news briefing Thursday morning that 27 bodies had been recovered from the plane and one from the helicopter. "We don't believe there are any survivors," he said, adding that the efforts at the scene have switched from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. The aircraft crash near Washington, D.C. Wednesday evening, American Eagle Flight No. 5342, a regional jetliner carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, with three soldiers, collided midair and crashed into the Potomac River near the airport. The plane had taken off from Wichita, Kansas. The soldiers on the helicopter, out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia, were on a proficiency training flight, according to Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region media chief Heather Chairez. Reagan National closure After the crash, Reagan National Airport closed at 9 p.m. Flights into and out of it were canceled. During the closure, passengers were met with signs that read "Due to an emergency situation, all flights are being held on the airfield" and additional information would be available as it is received. The airport re-opened just before 11 a.m. on Thursday. The Air Florida Flight 90 incident In 1982, a U.S. commercial flight suffered a similar tragedy and plummeted into the icy Potomac waters on a January afternoon. Flight 90, operated by the now-defunct Air Florida, was headed to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with 74 passengers on board and five crew members. Moments after takeoff, the Boeing 737 failed to maintain altitude and slammed into a bridge, hitting vehicles, before going into the river.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
3 Army Soldiers Feared Dead in Tragic Collision with Passenger Plane Near DC Airport
This is a developing story and will be updated. Three unidentified Army soldiers have likely died after their Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger flight over Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night during an annual training exercise, according to the Pentagon. The UH-60 helicopter was from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Heather Chairez, a Joint Task Force North-National Capital Region spokesperson, told It collided with American Eagle Flight 5342, which was en route from Wichita, Kansas, to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. and had 60 passengers and four crew members on board. Rescue efforts began immediately with first responders and the Coast Guard. D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly told reporters Thursday morning that "at this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident." Read Next: VA Says 44 Programs Will Continue After Review Required by Trump Federal Funding Freeze Wednesday's crash between the passenger flight and the Army helicopter marks the first major U.S. commercial aircraft crash in nearly 16 years. Deadly training crashes stateside with the UH-60 Black Hawk have happened several times in recent years, including two incidents in 2023 alone that led to 11 deaths. The 12th Aviation Battalion paused flights in the wake of the deadly incident. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a recorded statement Thursday morning that next-of-kin notifications for the soldiers aboard the helicopter were still ongoing. They were doing mandatory training at the time of the incident. "It was a fairly experienced crew that was doing a required annual night evaluation," Hegseth said. "They did have night vision goggles." Hegseth said that the 12th Aviation Battalion is taking a "48-hour operational pause on contingency missions" as officials probe the circumstances behind the crash. It's unclear whether the Department of Defense will order any service- or military-wide flying pauses for the Black Hawk helicopter following the tragedy. reported that the Army temporarily grounded all its aircraft following a spate of deadly crashes in 2023. In March of that year, two Black Hawk helicopters collided in Kentucky, claiming the lives of nine soldiers with the 101st Airborne. That same year, in February, two Tennessee National Guardsmen died in a Black Hawk crash in Alabama. A Black Hawk from the 12th Aviation Battalion, the same unit in Wednesday's collision, was involved in an April 2017 crash that claimed the lives of one soldier and injured two others, reported at the time. The helicopter crashed on the grounds of a golf course in Leonardtown, Maryland. Donnelly told reporters Thursday morning that 27 bodies had been recovered from the airplane and one from the helicopter. Related: Army Grounds All Aircraft Following 2 Deadly Helicopter Crashes
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
American Airlines Jet Carrying 60 Passengers Crashes Into Black Hawk Helicopter Over Washington
An American Airlines regional jet carrying 60 passengers crashed with a military helicopter near Washington D.C. Wednesday evening. The two aircraft collided mid-air and crashed down into the Potomac River at 9 p.m. on Wednesday. At the time of the crash, the American Airlines regional jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. There were three soldiers onboard the military Black Hawk helicopter, reports CBS News. First responders on the scene have recovered 'at least' 19 bodies from the wreckage of the crash so far. There have been no reported survivors: American Eagle Flight No. 5242, which was operated by PSA Airlines, collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter at around 9 p.m. Wednesday while approaching a runway at Reagan National Airport, the FAA said. The plane had taken off from Wichita, Kansas. American Eagle and PSA Airlines are subsidiaries of American Airlines. The helicopter involved in the collision was on a training flight and had belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia, Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region media chief Heather Chairez told CBS News. In a statement shared by American Airlines, the travel operator said: 'Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts.' No passengers on the jet have been identified and the military confirmed that there were no senior officials on the helicopter when it went down. However, U.S. Figure Skating issued a statement saying that 'several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342,' according to a statement shared with ABC News. Newly appointed defense secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Army and Defense Department would 'immediately' launch an investigation into the events that led up to the collision, reports ABC News. President Donald Trump has also made his thoughts on the collision clear: 'I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise,' he wrote. The president followed up with a post on Truth Social that seemed to be probing for further answers regarding the cause of the crash. 'Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane,' he wrote in the post, adding, 'This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!' The search for any survivors continued late into the night, with first responders tackling 'extremely rough' conditions, explained District of Columbia fire and emergency medical services chief John Donnelly in a statement. The crash in D.C follows a tough time for passenger aviation after a plane in Korea crashed while landing, killing 179 people onboard. A DHL cargo plane also crashed at the end of last year amid fears of Russian meddling, and a small plane crashed into a warehouse in California earlier this month. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
CBS News
30-01-2025
- General
- CBS News
South Florida airports impacted by plane crash near Washington D.C.
MIAMI - The plane crash near Washington D.C. is impacting flights at South Florida's airports. Thursday morning, flights into and out of Ronald Reagan International Airport were canceled. The airport, which closed at 9 p.m. Wednesday will remain that way through at least 11 a.m. Passengers are being met with signs that read "Due to an emergency situation, all flights are being held on the airfield" and additional information will be available as it is received. Wednesday evening, American Eagle Flight No. 5342, a regional jetliner carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, and a Black Hawk helicopter collided in midair and crashed into the Potomac River near the airport. The plane had taken off from Wichita, Kansas. The helicopter was on a training flight and had belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia, Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region media chief Heather Chairez told CBS News.
