What we know about the crash of the US Airlines in Washington, DC

No survivors expect that a passenger plane collided with the mid -air with a helicopter near Washington, DC, says officials in the United States.

The plane was carrying 64 passengers and crew when it landed in the Botomac River after the collision. The helicopter had three people on the plane, who were classified as “somewhat experienced crew” by Defense Minister Beit Higseth.

Sigrs from the United States and Russia were among those on board, according to officials of skiing in the United States and a club in Boston.

The authorities looking for freezing water say they have turned into a recovery process.

At approximately 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, the Psa Airlines that operated as an American Airlines 5342 aircraft with a US Army helicopter with Ronald Reagan Washington’s National Airport approaching, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Reports said the passenger plane stormed multiple pieces and sank several feet in the river, while the helicopter ended upside down on the water.

US Airways said the plane, the Bombardier CRJ700 company, left Witchita, Kansas and was carrying 60 passengers and four crew.

According to the officials’ updates, the helicopter was the Sikorsky H-60 ​​that took off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia with three soldiers on board, belonging to B. The twelfth aviation battalion.

Higseth said the plane was on an annual efficiency flight, as it evaluated night with standard glasses. He said that the names and ranks were blocked until the next were informed.

A clip posted on the Internet by LiveATC.NET, which flows air traffic, aims to capture the air traffic control conversation in the moments before the accident. According to what was reported, the helicopter warning unit can be heard from the plane, but do not receive any response. The sound has not been checked by the BBC.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate the incident, along with the National Transport Safety Council (NTSB). Higseth said he expected this to quickly determine whether the helicopter was flying in the corridor and the right height.

DC Fire and EMS President John Donlley said on Thursday morning that officials “do not believe that there are any survivors of this incident.”

He said that the team had recovered 27 bodies from the plane, and one of the helicopters.

The source of law enforcement was familiar with the investigation earlier CBS that a number of at least 30 bodies have already been found.

“Many members of our ski community were on board,” said ice skiing in the United States. She said that this group consists of athletes, coaches and family members who were returning to their homes from the Tanmas camp in Kansas.

The Kremlin confirmed that the Russian citizens were on board – after the local media reported that the ski coaches and the heroes of the former world, Yivgenia Shishkova and Fadiim Numov, were on the plane.

Donkey said in a previous update that about 300 respondents on rubber boats were published earlier to search for survivors. “The challenge is access, there are winds, pieces of ice (on water). It is dangerous and difficult to work on,” he said.

Arie Choelman told NBC Washington that he saw the crash of the plane while driving on the George Washington Road, which runs along the airport.

He said that the plane’s approach seemed normal, until he saw the aircraft bank strongly to the right, while operating “sparks” under it, which illuminates its stomach.

At that point, he said he knew he seemed “very wrong.” After he saw a landing on the plane there in the past, he said that the lower plane side should not be visible in the dark.

He said that the sparks resemble a “giant Roman candle” and went from the nose of the plane to its tail.

Jimmy Mazio said he saw the accident while eating dinner with his girlfriend in a garden near the airport.

Remember seeing what looks like a “white strait” in the sky. He said that the aircraft flying to Ronald Reagan Airport seemed to fly in “irregular patterns.”

Mr. Mazeo said he did not think much about what he saw until emergency services began to reach the scene.

At a press conference on Thursday, President Donald Trump said the country is “in a mourning”, and it is seized the opportunity to take criticism from his political opponents, who accused him of employing “employees” in air traffic control functions.

He and his team said “strong opinions and ideas” about what happened, but he admitted that the investigation was at an early stage.

Speaking at the same press conference, Transport Minister Sean Duffy and Hegsith pledged to reach the bottom of the accident.

Robert Isom, CEO of America Airlines, expressed his “deep sorrow” about the collision in a video clip posted on the airline website.

This was repeated by Roger Marshall, US Senate member represented Kansas, as the plane traveled. He described “a sorrow beyond measurement.”

The main accidents of this type are relatively rare in the United States. The latest similar collision was in 2009, according to a list of Reuters.

That year, a plane crashed into a landing approach in Boufalo, New York, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground.

Air field over Washington, DC, is busy and very controlled. It is used by local and international traffic using two airports, and there are additional factors of presidential flights, heavy military traffic and air flights around the Pentagon.

Sean Daily, a BBC transportation, said that passengers should follow fixed flight plans. In the uncontrolled airspace, military pilots work under strict instructions from air traffic controllers, but unlike their civil counterparts, they have freedom to deviate and the duty to “see and avoid” other aircraft.