Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Still Closed After Deadly 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 on Wednesday evening. As of early Thursday morning, greater than 500 flights had been canceled out and in of DCA, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

All flights had been halted on the Washington, D.C.-area airport and are not anticipated to renew till at the very least 11 a.m. on Thursday, according to the airport. The airport’s terminals stay open.

“All airport roads and terminals are open,” the airport wrote in a post on X, previously often called Twitter. “Some flights have been delayed or cancelled, so passengers are inspired to examine with their airline for particular flight info.”

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, according to the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). The flight was operated on a Bombardier CRJ700 plane by regional provider 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 Airlines plane, according to a statement from the carrier. The Associated Press studies {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 line with FlightAware.

“First, and most significantly, I’d like to specific our deep sorrow about these occasions,” Robert Isom, CEO of American Airways, mentioned in a video handle 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 solely 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 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched an investigation into the crash, in line with the FAA. Isom mentioned the airline was “cooperating absolutely” with the investigation and “we need to be taught every part we are able to about right this moment’s occasions.”

The our bodies of at the very least 28 individuals have been recovered from the frigid Potomac River, and whereas officers are nonetheless trying to find casualties, they don’t look forward to finding any survivors, the AP reported. If true, that will make this the deadliest U.S. air crash in practically 24 years.