ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — The recovery operations for the tragic midair collision involving an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter near the nation’s capital have now concluded, with all 67 victims’ remains successfully retrieved, announced authorities on Tuesday. Though the chief medical examiner is in the process of confirming the identity of one set of remains, a joint release from the city and various federal agencies, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Navy dive teams, and Washington, D.C. police and fire departments, expressed condolences to the families of the victims during this difficult time.
The recovery efforts continued as crews labored to retrieve the cockpit and other components of the jetliner from the Potomac River. Progress in this endeavor was contingent upon the wind and tidal conditions in the river, where the tragic plane crash occurred last Wednesday night as the aircraft was preparing to land at nearby Ronald Reagan National Airport, resulting in the loss of all individuals aboard both vehicles.
Throughout the day, observers witnessed crews hoisting sizable portions of the plane from the river. The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that no additional updates would be provided from the scene.
Authorities had initially indicated their intention to recover all deceased individuals and have been primarily focused on salvaging the jet, with plans to retrieve the Black Hawk helicopter later in the week. Col. Francis B. Pera of the Army Corps of Engineers reported that salvage teams successfully extracted one of the two jet engines from the river on Monday, along with significant portions of the plane’s exterior. Efforts were also underway to retrieve a wing of the aircraft that had departed from Wichita, Kansas.
The American Airlines flight was carrying sixty passengers and four crew members, including figure skaters returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. The Black Hawk was engaged in a training exercise, with Army personnel Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland; and Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina, on board during the tragic incident.
Federal investigators are diligently piecing together the sequence of events leading up to the collision. While comprehensive investigations typically span a year or longer, investigators are aiming to issue a preliminary report within the next 30 days.
The crash on Wednesday marked the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. since November 12, 2001, when a jet crashed into a New York City neighborhood shortly after takeoff, resulting in the loss of all 260 individuals on board and five individuals on the ground. – Dale reported from Philadelphia.
