They also recovered more human remains from the Potomac River, although they declined to offer specifics, reiterating only that 55 of the 67 victims have been found and identified since the crash on Wednesday. Authorities have said the operation to remove the plane will take several days and they will then work to remove the military helicopter involved. More than people are taking part in the recovery effort at any given time, officials said.
Two navy barges were also deployed to lift heavy wreckage. Divers and salvage workers are adhering to strict protocols and stopped moving debris at times when human remains were being recovered, said US Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Francis Pera. Portions of the two aircraft that collided over the river on Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport β an American Airlines jet with 64 people aboard and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter with three aboard β are being loaded on to flatbed trucks and will be taken to a hangar for investigation.
The crash occurred when the jet, en route from Wichita, Kansas, was about to land. The Black Hawk was on a training mission. There were no survivors. On Sunday, family members were taken in buses with a police escort to the Potomac River bank near where the two aircraft came to rest after colliding. Federal investigators are working to piece together the events that led to the collision. Full investigations typically take a year or more, but investigators hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days.
Experts stress that plane travel is overwhelmingly safe, but the crowded air space around Reagan Airport can challenge even experienced pilots. The National Transportation Safety Board said on Saturday that preliminary data showed conflicting readings for the altitudes of the airliner and the helicopter.
Data in the control tower showed the Black Hawk at ft, the maximum allowed altitude for helicopters in the area. We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
