“We do not believe there are any survivors,” said Thursday at a press conference the head of the rescue operation in the accident suffered by the American Airlines flight, when it arrived from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington DC (USA) with 60 passengers on board and four crew members and collided in the air at 21.00 local time, with a military helicopter in the vicinity of Ronald Reagan Airport in the US capital.

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The helicopter pilot informed the control tower that he had the aircraft in sight, according to an audio recording of the moments prior to the accident. Only 13 seconds elapsed between that message and the crash. According to several videos, as a result of the crash the plane became a ball of fire and smoke, before plummeting into the Potomac River.

According to the Associated Press, the Black Hawk helicopter was conducting a training flight. As the U.S. news agency points out, military aircraft frequently conduct training flights in the congested and highly restricted airspace surrounding the nation’s capital to familiarize themselves with such situations. Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, posted on social media an email from Heather Chairez, spokeswoman for the U.S. Army’s Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region, stating that the helicopter had been on a military training flight. It was operating from Davison military airfield at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, south of Washington. Hegseth said the Defense Department and the Army had launched an investigation.

At a press conference, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the collision occurred when the commercial airliner was making a “normal” approach. He confirmed that there were four crew members and 60 passengers on the plane. At this time, he said we do not know why the helicopter “crossed” the plane’s path. After offering the phone number of the helpline for the relatives, he explained that they have a team to assist both those affected and those who are going to take a plane this Thursday.

American Airlines reported that the PSA pilot and co-pilot of the commercial airliner, AA’s regional carrier, had been with the company for 6 years and 2 years, respectively. On the experience of the pilots of the military helicopter, the head of transportation, Duffy, asked not to speculate on their inexperience because they were on a reconnaissance flight in the vicinity of Washington. In the last round of questions, the highest transport authority concluded by saying, in line with President Donald Trump’s statements that it was a preventable accident: “If you ask me if it could have been avoided: yes, it could have been avoided, absolutely”. And here the authorities have ended the press conference following the tragic accident.

🚨 #BREAKING: New angle of the American Airlines plane vs. Blackhawk crash in DC

The Blackhawk sees to be almost TOTALLY dark. pic.twitter.com/C6AXBSeXjZ

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 30, 2025

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, very close to the regional airport. The aircraft broke into three pieces and plunged into the icy waters. The authorities have confirmed that 28 bodies have already been recovered and, after ruling out the possibility of survivors, have reported that the 300 troops are working to recover all the bodies.

Experts say the low water temperatures in the Potomac River would likely cause water shock and hypothermia, resulting in an expected survival time of between 30 and 90 minutes. Authorities have closed parks on both sides of the Potomac River and a marina south of the accident site. Emergency vehicles remain on the riverbank. Ice chunks are visible in the water.

The mayor of Wichita, Lily Wu, was in tears after it was confirmed that there are no survivors of the accident. In turn, she has offered her support to those in the city who may have been affected. “Our community needs to come together to support the family members who have been affected, come together in honor of the people on that flight,” she stressed.

The Kremlin has confirmed Thursday that among the occupants of the crashed passenger plane there are several Russian citizens, while conveying its condolences to the loved ones of the deceased. “Unfortunately, these sad reports have been confirmed,” said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, referring to the presence of several former Russian figure skaters in the crashed aircraft, according to the Russian news agency TASS. “There were also other fellow citizens,” he noted.

In a statement released by the White House, Donld Trump stated that he had been informed in detail of what had happened. “May God bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation,” he said.

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The authorities have informed in a press conference that 300 troops are working in the rescue efforts along the Potomac River and, for the moment, they cannot confirm if there are any survivors. There are also no official figures for the moment of fatalities, but it is feared that there are dozens because there were 64 people on board the plane and three soldiers in the helicopter.

-Thailand News (TN)