Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport Nonetheless Closed after Lethal Crash

Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport (DCA) remained shut down on Thursday morning after an American Airways regional jet fatally collided mid-air with a army helicopter simply outdoors the airport.

All flights have been halted on the Washington, D.C.-area airport and weren’t anticipated to renew till not less than 11 a.m. on Thursday, in accordance with the airport. The airport’s terminals stay open.

As of early Thursday morning, greater than 500 flights had been canceled out and in of DCA, in accordance with flight tracker FlightAware.

The incident occurred at about 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday when American Eagle Flight 5342 collided midair whereas trying to land on the airport with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter, in accordance with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). The flight was operated on a Bombardier CRJ700 plane by regional service PSA Airways, wholly owned by American, and was headed from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C.

There have been 60 passengers and 4 crew members on board the American Airways plane, in accordance with an announcement from the service. The Related Press reviews {that a} army helicopter, which additionally had a number of passengers on board, was on a coaching flight on the time.

As of Thursday morning, PSA Airways was compelled to cancel greater than 280 flights and American Airways was compelled to cancel an extra 165 flights, in accordance with FlightAware.

“First, and most significantly, I’d like to precise our deep sorrow about these occasions,” American’s CEO Robert Isom mentioned in a video tackle posted to the airline’s web site. “This can be a tough day for all of us at American Airways and our efforts now are targeted fully on the wants of our passengers, crew members, companions, first responders, together with their households and family members.”

The Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB) and the FAA have launched an investigation into the crash, in accordance with the FAA. Isom mentioned the airline was “cooperating totally” with the investigation and “we need to study every thing we will about immediately’s occasions.”

The our bodies of not less than 28 folks have been recovered from the frigid Potomac River, and whereas officers are nonetheless trying to find casualties, they don’t anticipate finding any survivors, the AP reported. If true, that might make this the deadliest U.S. air crash in practically 24 years.