All black boxes, 41 victims recovered at DC air crash scene

Police boats combed the banks of the Potomac River on Friday, slowly scanning the shoreline in the rain as investigators sought clues into the midair collision that killed 67 people and raised questions about air traffic safety around the nation’s capital.

The black box from the Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with a commercial jetliner and crashed into the Potomac River has been recovered, investigators announced. They are reviewing that flight data recorder along with two recovered earlier from the jet.

No one survived the Wednesday night collision. The remains of 41 people had been pulled from the river as of Friday afternoon, including 28 that had been positively identified, Washington, D.C., Fire Chief John Donnelly Sr. said at a news conference. He said next of kin notifications had been made to 18 families, and he expects all the remains to be recovered.

The wreckage of the plane’s fuselage will probably have to be pulled from the water to get all the bodies, he said.

More than 300 responders were taking part in the effort at any one time, including teams of divers and two U.S. Coast Guard cutters, at least one of which carries a crane. 

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. The helicopter had three soldiers on board.

Although Ronald Reagan National Airport reopened, two of its three runways remained closed to keep aircraft from flying over the crash scene. Roughly 100 flights were canceled Friday.

Investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of the American Airlines jetliner, which collided with the chopper as the plane was coming in for a landing at the airport, which is just across the Potomac from Washington.

The flight data recorder was in good condition and its information was expected to be downloaded shortly, National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman told reporters. He said water entered the cockpit voice recorder, and while that’s not unusual, it adds to investigators’ work.

Investigators are examining the actions of the military pilot as well as air traffic control, after the helicopter apparently flew into the jet’s path. NTSB investigations normally take at least a year, though investigators hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days.

Military aircraft frequently conduct such flights in and around the capital to practice routes they would fly if key government officials had to be quickly moved during a major catastrophe or attack.

Crash debris has drifted miles downriver. Dean Naujoks, who routinely patrols the Potomac for the environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance, found floating debris Thursday in a pair of shallow coves along the Maryland shore.

Experts often highlight that plane travel is overwhelmingly safe, but the crowded airspace around Reagan National can challenge even the most experienced pilots.


Photos: Alex Brandon/AP; Taylor Bacon/US Coast Guard via AP