The recovery of lost souls in a tragic midair collision has been completed, as officials in Arlington, Va. confirmed the retrieval of all 67 victims from the American Airlines flight and Army helicopter crash near the nation’s capital last week. A statement released by authorities on Tuesday revealed that efforts are ongoing to positively identify one set of remains under the supervision of the chief medical examiner.
Expressing condolences and solidarity with the families of the victims during this heartbreaking loss, the joint release from the city and various federal agencies involved, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Navy dive teams, and Washington, D.C. police and fire departments, highlighted the somber nature of the recovery operation. The recovery process includes the extraction of the cockpit and other parts of the jetliner from the Potomac River, with progress contingent on the river’s wind and tidal conditions. The tragic incident occurred last Wednesday night when the aircraft collided as the American Airlines plane was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, resulting in the loss of all individuals on board both aircraft.
Throughout the day, observers witnessed crews lifting sizable portions of the plane from the river, as the National Transportation Safety Board announced its decision to halt further updates from the scene. Early in the recovery mission, authorities had expressed confidence in retrieving the remains of all victims, prioritizing the jet’s salvage before focusing on recovering the Black Hawk helicopter later in the week.
Colonel Francis B. Pera of the Army Corps of Engineers disclosed that salvage teams successfully retrieved one of the jet engines and significant portions of the aircraft’s exterior on Monday. Efforts are also underway to recover a wing of the plane that originated from Wichita, Kansas. The American Airlines flight carried 60 passengers and four crew members, including figure skaters returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, while the Black Hawk was engaged in a training exercise with Army personnel on board, including Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, and Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach.
Federal investigators are diligently piecing together the sequence of events leading to the tragic collision, with a comprehensive investigation expected to span a year or longer. However, officials aim to release a preliminary report within 30 days to shed light on the circumstances of the calamitous crash. The incident marks the deadliest aviation disaster in the United States since Nov. 12, 2001, when a jetliner tragically plunged into a New York City neighborhood shortly after takeoff, claiming the lives of all 260 occupants on board and five individuals on the ground.
Reporting on this devastating event, Dale contributed to this article from Philadelphia.
