A passenger jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter in midair on Wednesday, resulting in a crash into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
The aircraft, American Eagle Flight No. 5342, was a regional jetliner carrying 60 passengers and four crew members while traveling from Wichita, Kansas. Onboard the U.S. Army’s Sikorsky H-60 helicopter were three soldiers.
During a news briefing on Thursday morning, John Donnelly, Chief of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services, informed reporters that 27 bodies had been retrieved from the jet, along with one from the helicopter.
The helicopter involved in the incident was conducting a training flight and belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
Footage captured by a livestream camera at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., recorded the collision.
The plane fragmented into several pieces, which were found in 5-8 feet of water.
A dive team discovered what seems to be one of the aircraft’s two data recorders, commonly referred to as black boxes. It remains unclear whether it is the cockpit voice recorder or the device that tracks performance data.
The helicopter was located upside down but appears to be largely intact.
Among the victims were prominent figure skaters from Russia and the United States, including six individuals connected to the Skating Club of Boston.
