A tragic accident occurred near Washington DC as a regional passenger jet collided mid- -air with a US Army Blackhawk helicopter while heading towards Ronald Reagan National Airport. As per latest updates by CNS News, 18 bodies have been recovered so far. The crash which led to extensive search and rescue operation, left authorities and emergency responders struggling to find the survivors and to find out the cause of the incident. In this accident, both civilian and military aircraft are involved and questions the air traffic management in one of the world’s most closely monitored airspaces. Below are the latest top key details of the crash and ongoing investigation.
1. Crash at the Reagan National Airport: A regional jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided with the Army Blackhawk near Washington, DC on January 30 while making a landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport. President Donald Trump stated that he has been fully informed about the accident. ‘’May God bless their souls,’’ he added.
2. Search and Operation underway: A large scale and rescue operation has been launched, inflatable rescue boats are also being deployed into the Potomac river.
3. Details of aircrafts involved: The passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 5342 was a Bombardier CRJ-701 whereas the helicopter which was part of the US Army’s fleet was a UH-60 Blackhawk.
4. Timing of the crash: The collision occurred around at 9: pm EST just three miles south of the White House. This accident site is one of the most heavily monitored airspaces in the world.
5. The aircraft faced loss of altitude: Just before the crash, the jet, which was at 400 feet and was travelling at 140 mph, experienced an altitude loss over the Potomac river.
6. Communication problem: Air traffic controllers gave clearance to the jet for landing on the shorter runway 33. Less than 3- seconds before the collision, they directed the helicopter to avoid the jet but the collision still happened.
7. As per the latest report by Reuters, 18 bodies have been recovered so far after the mid air collision.
8. A similar incident happened in the 1982 Air Florida disaster which also took place in the same river and 78 people have lost their lives.
9. Weather status at the time of the clash: Temperatures were at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and wind was blowing at 25 mph in the area. The Potomac river was cold at 36 degrees Fahrenheit.
10. Reagan National is a crucial airport because of its proximity to Washington DC. Top officials including a newly appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy are closely monitoring the situation.
(With inputs from AP)