Emergency Response Units Search Crash Site of American Airlines Plane
Rescuers continued to retrieve bodies from the frigid Potomac River on Thursday after an American Airlines regional jet collided with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport. The deadliest commercial air disaster in the US since 2001 has brought concerns over congested US airspace into a full-blown crisis.
The Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter, which was carrying three people. There were no survivors on either aircraft.
Recent close calls at airports have raised alarms among airlines, regulators, and lawmakers. In one incident, a JetBlue Airways plane came within a few hundred feet of a Southwest Airlines flight while starting its takeoff roll at Reagan National Airport.
Despite concerns, there has not been a major fatal commercial airplane crash on US soil since February 2009. Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said the system is “as safe as it has ever been,” but airline executives have pushed for modernization and additional staffing to alleviate congestion in some of the busiest corridors in the US.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport’s main runway is the busiest in the US, and airline executives argue that the system has been in need of modernization for decades. Jordan stated that modernizing equipment allows for better management of airspace, more throughput, and increased efficiency.