Officials in Washington, D.C., identified 55 bodies pulled from the Potomac River during a strenuous multi-day recovery effort following the midair collision between a commercial plane and a Black Hawk helicopter last week.
D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, Sr. informed reporters on Sunday that the bodies of 55 out of 67 victims from the plane crash have been identified. Donnelly reported that the only injury was a first responder who got hypothermia while looking in the cold water, but they later got better.
Officials said they will begin removing trash from the Potomac River on Monday. Col. Francis Pera from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said he expects “a successful lift” on Monday morning. He also mentioned that they will cover the wreckage with a tent to protect any human remains.
“We have a process to monitor the lift as it occurs,” Pera said. “If there are remains inside, they won’t move while we are recovering the wreckage.” We will lift the wreckage onto the boat. We quickly cover the barge to ensure we can make our own decisions.
Officials have been at the wreckage site in the river since soon after the crash involving a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk chopper and a Bombardier CRJ700 plane that was flying for PSA Airlines, a part of American Airlines.
The flight recorder of the plane showed that it was hit by the chopper at 325 feet on Wednesday night. Before the hit, the plane’s position changed, according to early information provided on Saturday.
“Currently, the CRJ (plane) based on the data recorder at the time of impact was 325 feet, plus or minus 25 feet,” National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Todd Inman said at a Saturday news conference. “For those who pay attention to this, that is the updated height.”
He said, “Right before the impact, I noticed a small change in the sound. The pitch got a bit higher.” This was in response to a question about whether the plane climbed.
Air traffic control data showed that the plane was at 200 feet when it hit. However, Inman said they haven’t confirmed that number yet and need more detailed information. They also need data from the Black Hawk’s recording to explain the 100-foot difference in altitude.
“Inman said, ‘Once we have the data from the recorder, we can give you a clearer answer.'”
Jake Crockett, a firefighter and diver with the Scuba Rescue Team of Chesterfield Fire & EMS, told Fox News Digital last week that the recovery effort is “very unusual.”
“We’re trained and ready to respond when there’s a dive call, which usually involves one person in trouble.” Crockett stated that sometimes there are a few victims.
“It’s really unusual to have to keep track of 67 people, two planes, and all the wreckage.” None of us saw this coming.
The firemen said that the Potomac River has issues with temperature and how clear the water is.
Crockett stated that visibility will be very low or almost zero, making it very difficult to find small pieces of an aircraft while diving. “The water in the lakes, ponds, and rivers here is very dark.”
Leave a Comment