 |
| (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) |
BY C STONE | STONE NEWS NETWORK
67 people are dead after two aircraft collided mid-air yesterday evening. American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Military Black Hawk helicopter while landing.
28 bodies were taken from the cold waters of the Potomac River. The aircraft split into 3 pieces before it landed in the water. The plane was attempting to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew. There were 3 soldiers performing training on the Black Hawk when it went down.
The main concourse at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is mostly quiet as the airport remains closed, Thursday morning, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
It happened at 9PM EST in the most controlled airspace in the world. The flight data recorders are still underwater. AA CEO Robert Isom said "The military aircraft came into the path" of the jet while it was landing.
President Trump called this event "hour of anguish" for the country.
The sad fact is, the last major air event was November 12, 2001 - when an American Airlines flight hit a residential area in Belle Harbor, New York, killing 260 people. This happened two months after over 3,000 Americans lost their lives in 9/11.
Flying slow for landing, the aircraft was at 140 MPH at 400 feet in altitude. It rapidly lost altitude after being hit by the U.S. Black Hawk helicopter. The jet was a CRJ-700, a twin-passenger manufactured in 2004.
The Black Hawk was heading too quickly, and collided with the jet.
A crewmember said the aircraft was in sight and requested “visual separation” — allowing it to fly closer than otherwise might be allowed if pilots did not see the plane. Controllers approved the request.
Comments
Post a Comment