DC plane crash recovery team retrieves major aircraft parts from Potomac River

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has recovered wreckage components from the Potomac River. This follows a severe accident last week where an American Airlines plane collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, D.C. The recovery efforts are crucial for understanding the circumstances surrounding the tragic event.

According to local reports, one of the plane's two engines was retrieved from the river on Monday morning, and a large section of the fuselage was removed from the water several hours later. Authorities have also begun removing the wings, a task they say could take several days or even longer. They are hoping to remove the cockpit on Tuesday (local time), which is considered a critical piece of evidence.

The disaster occurred over Washington, D.C., when the two aircraft collided, resulting in the deaths of 67 people. Once the wreckage is fully recovered, it will be transported to a hangar at Washington Reagan National Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will examine the wreckage there to investigate the cause of the accident, seeking to determine the factors that led to this devastating outcome.

The Washington, D.C. Fire Department has stated that it has identified 55 of the 67 individuals who died in the accident. The department added that more human remains have been recovered but have not yet been identified. These remains, along with others, are still undergoing identification by the medical examiner's office, highlighting the ongoing efforts to provide closure to the victims' families.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that the investigative data from last week's collision will be released on Tuesday. Ms. Homendy said the NTSB also plans to investigate a previous near-miss incident between a helicopter and an airplane near a Washington, D.C. airport and may expand the investigation to "other areas where there are military helicopters and air traffic," indicating a broader review of air safety protocols.

Ms. Homendy stated that the NTSB can complete interviews with air traffic controllers and is conducting interviews with American Airlines and the U.S. Army regarding operational aspects. The U.S. President indicated that the helicopter was flying more than 200 feet (61 meters) above the area's helicopter altitude restriction at the time of the incident, colliding with a passenger plane and resulting in the deaths of all on board.

"We need to understand what the standard operating procedures were for the helicopter training mission," she said. Details reveal that the helicopter was flying at a height exceeding 61 meters, which was the maximum altitude restriction for its route. Ms. Homendy stated that this data comes from DC radar, which updates every five seconds, and that "this can change in a short period of time when a helicopter is moving at a good rate." Data confirmed that air traffic controllers alerted the helicopter to the presence of the CRJ-700 aircraft approximately 2 minutes before the collision.