No one is believed to have survived after a plane and helicopter crashed in mid-air over Washington DC’s Potomac River, officials said.
64 people were on the American Airlines flight and 3 people on the Military helicopter when the aircraft collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Emergency services Chief, John Donnelly said 28 bodies have been found so far and the recovery operation continues.
US Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy told the Press, it was a “clear night” and the pilots were “experienced”.
Investigators are focusing on “why the helicopter was flying at that location”.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump also questioned why the helicopter didn’t “go up or down, or turn”
‘The helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area’
Secretary of Transport, Sean Duffy is now answering questions about the flight path of the helicopter and air traffic control at the time of the incident.
He said, he doesn’t want to go into too much details about the information from the Federal Aviation Administration but that prior to the collision, the flight paths of both aircraft were not unusual for DC airspace.
“As this investigation moves forward, we’ll provide more information”..
On air traffic control, Duffy also said he won’t make a statement, but noted that everything was standard in the lead up to the crash.
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“Obviously something happened,” he said, adding that we will learn more as the investigation progresses.
The Transportation Secretary is also asked about communication between the helicopter, the commercial plane and flight control – he responded by saying that there was no breakdown in communication between the Military helicopter and the American Airline flight.
“The helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area,” he emphasised.
DC Fire and EMS Chief, John Donnelly answered the next question, about the size of the debris field.
He said that the wind has caused debris to travel from the airport as far as the Wilson Bridge, which he explained is less than a mile away.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
