On Wednesday Jan. 29, an American Airlines jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair and plumbed into the Potomac River in Arlington, VA. The crash left zero survivors, with a death toll in the 60s. The flight had departed from Wichita, KA with 64 passengers and crew aboard. At around 8:40 p.m. the collision happened, and units arrived on the scene at 8:50 p.m. By Thursday morning, 28 bodies had been recovered.
“Crews have 90 seconds to be leaving their station ready to go, they’ll receive information over the radio on what equipment they need and should have it if they hear in time,” Kyler Tate, a student at DACC in the fire department training program said. “Crews arrive on scene and seize it, and an on-scene command is established. The incident command officer directs responders to eliminate threats to life and property. The incident commander should also start calling for extra resources as soon as they know what they need.”
Tate continued to explain the steps and stated once it is safe they will start the rescue process. If there is no possibility for survivors, they do not take the risk.
President Trumps’ new defense secretary Pete Hegseth stated the helicopter was the Army’s and the defense department would be part of the investigation. Another member of the cabinet, transportation secretary Sean Duffy stated, “both aircrafts were in standard flight patterns before the crash” and was “absolutely preventable” at a press conference. Along with being standard flight patterns, there was “not a breakdown” in communication between the military helicopter, plane and air traffic controllers.
“The Reagan Airport is a federal airport, vs airports like Ohio State University’s which are private sectors approved by the FAA,” retired air traffic controller Jeff Parish said. “Overall, air control centers located at airports are in charge of safely moving. Larger stations run the raiders, used by pilots and controllers.”
According to CNN, there was “one air traffic controller working two different positions at the time of the collision.” The source stated the tower was 85% staffed, which was not uncommon for the time of day.
“They know that the controller who was in communication with the Helicopter pilots said they saw the plane,” Parish said. “The lights could have affected the pilot’s vision, but we truly do not know until the recordings are released. Everything is recorded, within the tower and the cockpit.”
The affected
The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) stated they are mourning the death of two members as they wait for answers. President Sara Nelson stated “‘Is it safe?’ is a question that every single aviation worker asks every single day … And if it is not, we don’t go.” The AFA hopes to learn what happened to two of their loved members.
On the plane there were figure skaters, their coaches and family members according to ESPN. The Skating Club of Boston stated six members of the program were on the plane. These athletes were teenagers who were at a camp to train for the 2030 Olympics and coaches who are known around the world for their talent. The Philadelphia Skating club said members of their club were aboard the plane. All the skaters were on a return flight from a development camp which follows the U.S. figure Skating Championship.
“What happened was just devastating, so many young talented skaters. My heart goes out to friends, families and all people involved. The figure skating community is devastated to hear this news. Sending my thoughts and prayers to all,” high school figure skater Cass Lloyd ‘26 said.
All three of the soldiers have been recovered. According to the Army Military District of Washington press release, the helicopter was “performing a training mission.” Their focus is to aid the “National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other investigative agencies to determine the cause of this tragic incident.”
In the near future there will be more information on what caused the accident. Investors plan to look at all possible factors such as the environment, humans and machines.
