All passengers and crewmembers are feared dead after an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter collided near Reagan Washington National Airport late Wednesday night, officials said.
American Eagle Flight 5342 was carrying 60 passengers and four crewmembers from Wichita, Kansas to Washington D.C. when the crash occurred around 9 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Several U.S. figure skaters, coaches and family members were on board the aircraft, U.S. Figure Skating has confirmed to media.
“U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.” the organization said in a statement to DC CBS affiliate WUSA9. “These athletes, coaches and family members were returning home from National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.”
Traveling at an altitude of about 400 feet and a speed of 140 miles per hour, the plane suddenly suffered a loss of altitude and collided with the. Black Hawk Army helicopter, believed to be carrying three people at the time.
The crash sparked a desperate search-and-rescue operation involving more than 300 first responders in the nearby Potomac River, all of them braving “extremely frigid conditions and heavy winds” along with ice during the overnight operations, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly Sr. told reporters. He said that the efforts have since shifted from rescue to recovery.
“At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” Donnelly said.
As of Thursday morning, 27 bodies have been pulled from the aircrafts.