DCA plane crash: Nearly 80 flights canceled, 17 delayed as airport gets back on track
WASHINGTON - Reagan National Airport resumed normal operations at 11 a.m. Thursday, more than 12 hours after a deadly collision between a military helicopter and an American Airlines flight that was heading for the runway.
According to FlightAware's Misery Map, which tracks flights across the country, there have been nearly 80 cancelations and 17 delays for flights leaving DCA.
The airports runways at both Reagan National Airport (DCA) and the airfield at the Wichita National Airport (ICT) were closed down immediately following the crash.
DCA warned that some flights were going to be delayed or cancelled, and continue to encourage passengers to check with their airline for specific flight information.
67 presumed dead following overnight plane crash
What Happened? :
Around 9 p.m. Wednesday night, a small passenger plane operated by Piedmont Southern Airlines on behalf of American Airlines collided with an Army Blackhawk helicopter, being piloted as part of a training exercise.
The passenger plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members and there were three people on board the military helicopter. All 67 people aboard the American Airlines jet and Army helicopter are feared dead in what is likely the worst U.S. aviation disaster in almost 24 years, officials said Thursday.
READ MORE: 'There are no survivors' President Trump speaks on DC plane crash
At least 28 bodies have been pulled from the icy Potomac River after the midair collision. According to officials, the helicopter flew into the flight path of the plane while it was landing at the airport.
The plane's fuselage was found upside down and broken into three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also located.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. At this time, officials stress that they do not know what caused the crash and are working to gather more information to determine what exactly happened.
LIVE: DC plane crash updates: Midair collision leaves no survivors
Video of Washington DC plane-helicopter crash
An American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter Wednesday night over the Potomac River in Washington DC. Earth cam captured the collision.
What's next?
What we know:
There is still no word on the cause of the collision. Officials have said that flight conditions were clear as the D.C.-bound flight was preparing to land on the runway at Reagan. The FAA and NTSB will continue investigating to determine what went wrong.
Trump said he was immediately appointing Christopher Rouchelou as active commissioner to the NTSB. Rocheleau is a 22-year FAA veteran, as acting commissioner to the Federal Aviation Administration.
At this time, we know that a few minutes before the jet was to land, air traffic controllers asked American Airlines Flight 5342 if it could do so on a shorter runway, and the pilots agreed. Controllers cleared the jet to land and flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.
Less than 30 seconds before the collision, an air traffic controller asked a helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later, saying "PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ" — apparently telling the copter to wait for the Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet to pass. There was no reply. Seconds after that, the aircraft collided.
The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet (732 meters) short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the Potomac.
The body of the plane was found upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, officials said. The helicopter's wreckage was also found.
Investigators will continue to examine the wreckage and its expected that cleanup efforts will begin when recovery efforts conclude.
What we don't know:
Federal investigators don’t know exactly what caused the crash, though Trump and others speculate that it could have been avoided. Investigators will try to piece together the moments before the collision, including any communication between the aircraft and air traffic controllers and a loss of altitude by the jet.
The Source: FlightAware, Reagan National Airport, The National Transportation Safety Board, the Associated Press, FOX 5 reporting