DC plane crash live updates: All 67 bodies recovered from Potomac River
Hundreds of families are in mourning after an American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, with both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
No one survived.
Sixty-four people were on board the plane, which departed from Wichita, Kansas. Three soldiers were on the helicopter.
All 67 bodies recovered
All 67 victims killed in the helicopter and plane collision have been recovered from the Potomac River, the Unified Command announced Tuesday. Sixty-six of the remains have been positively identified.
The Unified Command said its crews are still working to clear wreckage, including large pieces of the jet, from the river.
“Large lifts will continue through Tuesday evening, with unloading expected when environmental and tidal conditions allow on Wednesday,” the Unified Command said. “Operations will then shift to recovering wreckage from the Black Hawk helicopter.”
Trump called American Airlines CEO Monday night
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said President Donald Trump called him Monday night to offer condolences for the crew members, passengers and their loved ones.
Isom said in a letter to American Airlines employees on Tuesday that Trump “asked me to relay to all of you his personal appreciation for the work you are doing to support the families and his concern for the well-being of our entire team.”
“President Trump also made clear that aviation safety is a priority for his Administration,” he said. “We look forward to working with him on behalf of all our customers and team members in the name of safety.”
The airline will observe a moment of silence Wednesday, marking one week since the crash.
Husband and wife farmers from Kansas among crash victims
Bob and Lori Schrock — farmers from the small town of Kiowa, Kansas — died last week in the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, family friends confirmed to ABC News.
The founders of Premium Grain, Inc., the couple pioneered a method of rotating winter wheat with canola to improve the health of farmland.
“The goal on the farm is to produce crops that can tell a story, where they came from and what makes the journey unique,” a quote from Bob Schrock on the company’s website reads.
They were traveling to Pennsylvania to visit their daughter in college, multiple local outlets reported.
A memorial and funeral for the couple is scheduled for this weekend.
Drone video shows plane, helicopter submerged in Potomac
The National Transportation Safety Board released drone video filmed Thursday showing an overhead view of the downed American Airlines plane and Army Black Hawk helicopter submerged in the icy Potomac River.
Crews plan to recover cockpit on Tuesday
Crews on Monday removed one of two plane engines and the plane fuselage from the water, and have started removing a wing, an Army official said.
They hope to finish recovery of the plane over the next 24 hours, the official said.
Crews plan to recover the cockpit on Tuesday, but winds may impact their work, the official said.
Fifty-five sets of remains have been positively identified, D.C. Fire and EMS Assistant Chief Gary Steen said.
Some human remains were found during Monday’s operations; these and previously recovered remains are in the process of being positively identified, Steen said.
Officials believe more remains are within the wreckage, Steen said.
