All 67 people on board the American Airlines regional jet and US Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided midair Wednesday night are presumed dead – a grim tragedy that has left a heartbreaking trail of mourning families in its wake.
The somber day will be remembered as the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since 2001.
As details of the disturbing catastrophe emerge and additional bodies are identified, the full weight and impact of the lives lost grows heavier. Here are some of the victims of the tragedy identified so far.
The two close calls came within a week of Wednesday’s horrifying collision, in which an inbound commercial flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River.
A total of 64 people, including four crew members, were aboard passenger American Airlines Flight 5342, and three soldiers were on the Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk that came from Fort Belvoir in Virginia. All are presumed dead.
The tragedy has raised concerns about frequent military training flights around Reagan National Airport, including a helicopter lane that intersects with the flight path of aircraft on the southeastern approach to Runway 33, where American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita attempted to land Wednesday, the Post reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration has placed an air traffic controller dedicated to helicopters in the National Airport tower to manage the hazards, the report said, citing a source familiar with tower operations.
However, an internal preliminary report from the FAA showed that the number of staff members working at the air control tower at DCA was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic” on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
