DC plane crash: All 67 victims positively identified, wreckage recovery moves forward
All 67 DC plane crash victims positively identified
All 67 victims who died in the midair collision near Reagan National Airport have been positively identified, Unified Command confirmed Wednesday. The completion of the identification process comes one week after an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter. Sixty passengers and four crew members were aboard the airplane, while three military members were aboard the jet.
WASHINGTON - All 67 victims who died in the midair collision near Reagan National Airport have been positively identified, Unified Command confirmed Wednesday.
The completion of the identification process comes one week after an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter. Sixty passengers and four crew members were aboard the airplane, while three military members were aboard the jet.
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"This marks one of the final steps in bringing closure to the families and the community. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner continues its work to ensure the dignified return of remains to their families and continue supporting the families through this process," an update Wednesday from Unified Command states. "Our thoughts are with the victims’ families as they endure this heartbreaking loss. We offer our deepest condolences and remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting them through this difficult time."
Wreckage recovery
Timeline:
Unified Command includes the Metropolitan Police Department, D.C. Fire and EMS, U.S. Coast Guard, fire and police departments across the National Capital Region, and others. With the identification process complete, the focus is on clearing the remaining wreckage from the Potomac River.
According to Unified Command, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Baltimore District and the U.S. Coast Guard expect to complete removal of all major components of the American Airlines regional jet from the waterway on February 6.
READ MORE: Deadly aircraft collision investigation continues amid wreckage removal
The recovery process also includes the U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV).
After the plane wreckage is removed, crane operations will then transition to removal of the U.S. Army Black Hawk before clearing large debris in the remaining debris field with salvage baskets. S
"Should any additional items of interest be located during ongoing salvage operations, crews will ensure proper coordination with the appropriate authorities," according to Unified Command.
Additional support
Local perspective:
City Cruises, which offers cruises around D.C., was one of the first to offer support for emergency responders on the night of the collision.
Chad Barth, Vice President of Mid-Atlantic Operations, said their National Elite vessel was returning from a charter cruise Wednesday evening. Police and fire boats are located by the pier next to City Cruises in southwest D.C. and requested their help.
Barth said at the time, very little was known about the situation beyond that a crash had been reported.
"It was the closest they could get on land outside of the boats they would normally be taking down to the scene," Barth recalled. "Our captain, our crew, our food and beverage director, they even were helping prepare food for the first responders prior to them getting off the boat around midnight and other crew coming onboard to support them."
The vessel acted as a command center of sorts for emergency crews to take some recovery time and plan their next steps, Barth said. Since last Thursday, City Cruises’ Inner Harbor Spirit has been on the scene since it has more capacity than the National Elite.
READ MORE: DC plane crash wreckage removal becomes main focus after remains of all 67 victims recovered
The vessel was released from its duties Tuesday after recovering the last set of remains.
"There definitely have been some of those moments where it hits closer to home. I was out on the water with the team Saturday and right before we were to come back into the pier, there was a piece of debris from the plane that we found. Maybe a piece of an overhead compartment or something to that extent, and that really is a somber-esque moment to go through," Barth said.
From the start, Barth said described the mission as a collaboration between Unified Command and their team.
"It hasn’t been a "what can you do for us?’, it’s a "what can we do for you?" type of thing. We have been out there unquestioned everyday helping them just as we are as close to them as neighbors on this pier," he said. "It’s something we all train for in all of our ports on an annual basis for different types of things, whether it’s an active shooter drill or man-overboard drills. This was the time that conversation, or that playbook got called up and we jumped into action as we trained to do each and every year."
A vigil for the 67 victims was held at Rivergate City Park in Alexandria on Wednesday evening.