Officials in Washington say that “no survivors” are expected after the collision of an American Airlines plane and military helicopter Wednesday evening at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA).
Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said Thursday morning that operations were beginning to switch from a rescue mission to a recovery mission.
“At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident, and we have recovered 27 people from the plan and one from the helicopter,” Donnelly said during a press conference.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said both aircraft, including the plane’s fuselage, have been located. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are working with local authorities to investigate the incident.
More than 60 people were believed to be on the flight that collided with a military helicopter, which was on a training mission, just before landing at DCA.
The airline said the flight was enroute from Wichita, Ks. The helicopter crashed into the plane during its descent to the runway around 9 p.m. EST.
About 300 emergency responders have conducted a multi-agency search-and-rescue operation.
