Latest news with #flight5342
South China Morning Post
31-01-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Stressed US aviation system in focus as crash investigators search for clues
Robert Delaney in Washington and Mark Magnier in New York Published: 12:05am, 1 Feb 2025 Investigators and aviation experts worked overtime on Friday searching for clues to this week's deadly mid-air collision between a commercial jet and a military helicopter over Washington as attention focused on an increasingly stressed US aviation system, human error and concern the pilots involved may not have seen each other's aircraft. Political pressure in the nation's capital was mounting to identify what failed leading to the deadliest US air disaster in over two decades. US passenger traffic has exploded following the coronavirus pandemic without addressing the long hours, staff shortages and rising number of close calls hitting the air traffic control system, analysts said. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where the jet was due to land, has the nation's busiest runway and is the main gateway for members of Congress, which will almost certainly add urgency to the inevitable oversight hearings and finger pointing. The early debates for aviation experts and millions of ordinary passengers alike have centred on one question: Is it safe to fly in the US? US investigators Friday were studying the black boxes recovered from American Eagle flight 5342 after it collided mid-air with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nancy Kerrigan tearfully pays tribute to figure skaters in plane crash
U.S. Olympic figure skating icon Nancy Kerrigan spoke through tears as she remembered members of the skating community who are believed to be dead after the devastating crash of a military helicopter and American Airlines flight 5342. The aircraft, carrying members of the figure skating community home from the National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas, collided with a helicopter over Washington, D.C., Wednesday evening. Speaking at a Jan. 30 press conference held at the Skating Club of Boston — home to six of the crash victims — Kerrigan reflected on the tragedy. She shared that while she had trained at the club's former facility, she had not personally worked with those on the flight but had interacted face-to-face with them over the years. 'Not sure how to process it,' she said tearfully as she began, 'which is why I'm here.' Kerrigan underscored the impact of the tragedy on the close-knit skating community during the interview. "Our community is ... it's pretty small," she explained. "It's not just here that's hurting, and I think it's not just in these specific places. Every rink that has skating has feelings towards this. It's tragic." U.S. Figure Skating — the country's governing body for the sport — has nearly 246,000 members, including 185,581 Learn to Skate USA members, according to its website. While appearing alongside Kerrigan, leaders of the Skating Club of Boston said its skaters Spencer Lane and Jinna Han were on the flight along with their mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han. Coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova also died in the accident. Toward the end of the interview, Kerrigan reflected on a shared bond of resilience amongst skaters forged through training through harsh realities and pain. "We've been through the same thing — that training, that rigorous schedule of falling over and over and somehow picking yourself back up, which is like the main lesson, I think, learned in skating," she continued. "You get back up. Keep on trying. And even when it's hard, you get back up. Even when you're crying, hurt, in pain, get back up and move forward. Not easy, but that's what we all have to do now together.' This article was originally published on
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘The sweetest human.' Charlotte-based flight attendant mourned after DC plane crash
Danasia Elder was known to many as a great wife, mom and friend. Now, those family members and friends are in mourning. The 34-year-old was one of four Charlotte-based American Eagle flight 5342 crew members who died after the plane from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter over Washington, D.C. A total of 67 people were killed in the crash. Her brother-in-law Brandon Payne said she was full of life, Charlotte Observer news partner WSOC reported. 'She was very bright, very smart,' Payne said. 'She was an entrepreneur. This flight attendant thing was kind of like one of her dreams she wanted to do.' She leaves behind a husband and two children, Kayden and Dallas. After the crash, Elder's friends took to social media to lament her loss. The plane was operated by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines. One of them was Rebecca Cavaliere. She was devastated by how Elders died, her Facebook message said. They had participated in PSA training together last year and worked with each other several times. Cavaliere added that Elder was the 'sweetest human' and asked people to pray for Elder's family. 'Flying will never be the same for me again,' Cavaliere wrote. 'You never think someone you know will be in a plane crash. I've worked flights into DCA many times and my brain can't comprehend how this happened. Praying for all 67 souls and may they rest in peace.'
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
American Airlines CEO Says 'We Don't Know Why' Black Hawk Helicopter 'Came into the Path' of Plane
An American Airlines plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C just before 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29 On the morning of Thursday Jan. 30, authorities said they don't believe there were any survivors American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the crash took place'on an otherwise normal approach' for the plane as it prepared to land at Reagan National Airport The CEO of American Airlines is seeking answers about the mid-air collision of a military helicopter and one of its regional passenger planes while it was trying to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, Jan. 29, just before 9 p.m., an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers collided with an American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, resulting in a fiery collision that sent both plummeting into the nearby Potomac River. Authorities have said they do not believe there were any survivors. Related: American Airlines Flight Carrying 60 Passengers and 4 Crew Split in Half After Helicopter Collision: Report In a press conference on the morning of Thursday, Jan. 30, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom shared what he knew 'at this early stage.' American Eagle Flight 5342, a CRJ 700 operated by PSA airlines, he said, 'was involved in an accident' on its 'final approach into Reagan National." The plane "collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach,' he said. 'And at this time, we don't know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft flight 5342," he said. The plane reportedly split in two when it landed in the frigid water, NBC Washington reported. The Army Black Hawk helicopter was reportedly upside down in the river, making it difficult for rescuers to enter it, sources told NBC Washington. Related: Authorities Say They 'Don't Believe There Are Any Survivors' Expected from American Airlines Crash Over Washington D.C. Seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the Black Hawk, PAT 25, if it had the CJR 'in sight,' according to audio obtained by the Associated Press. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter seconds later, saying, 'PAT 25, pass behind the CRJ.' The Black Hawk did not respond to the warnings, according to the AP. Moments later, the two aircraft crashed into each other. During the press conference, Isom expressed his devastation about the tragedy. 'We're absolutely heartbroken for the family and loved ones of the passengers and crew members and also for those that were on the military aircraft,' he said. 'Our focus right now is doing everything that we can to support all of those involved and also the PSA Airlines team. This is devastating.' Isom added, 'I know that there are many questions at this early stage. I just won't be able to answer many, but we'll provide additional information as it comes.' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had strong words about the crash. 'It is not standard to have aircraft collide,' he said at the press conference. 'I'll be clear on that. 'But prior to the collision, the flight paths that were being flown from the military and from American, that was not unusual for what happens in the D.C. airspace.' Isom urged any family and friends of those on board to call their toll-free designated helpline at 1-800-679-8215 for information. Read the original article on People
