Dramatic footage shows midair collision over Potomac River
New footage retrieved from surveillance cameras at Reagan Airport and then filmed off a screen using a phone captured the moment the American Airlines regional passenger jet collided midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday.
In the footage, first aired by CNN, two sets of aircraft lights can be seen in the area behind the Lincoln Memorial near Reagan Airport. As one speeds toward the other, the two eventually cross paths and collide, leading to an explosion.
Crews to begin search for remaining victims
The scene of the crash site on the Potomac River appeared largely quiet this morning as day broke in Arlington.
At least one person could be seen out on the river early this morning as efforts to search for the remaining victims of the deadly crash were expected to resume today.
Dozens of bodies of those killed in the devastating crash have been pulled from the river, but some of the victims still have yet to be found as investigators continue to seek answers.
Aeronautical university remembers AA pilot Jonathan Campos
Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University said it was “deeply saddened” to learn about the passing of Captain Jonathan Campos, who was one of the pilots killed on the American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter on Wednesday.
“Our thoughts are with his family and the families and loved ones of all impacted by this tragic accident,” the university said in a statement issued yesterday.
Campos graduated from Emery-Riddle with a degree in aeronautical science in 2015.
Olympic skater Scott Hamilton calls loss of figure skaters 'unthinkable'
Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton grieved members of the figure skating community, including promising young athletes and coaches, who were killed in Wednesday night’s plane crash near Washington.
“I can’t wrap my head around the last 36 hours… the loss is just beyond description. My heart is shattered,” the former figure skater told NBC’s “TODAY” show this morning.
The figure skater recalled spending time with many of the crash victims at the figure skating championships, held days ago in Wichita, whom he said formed a “very tight-knit, very close-knit, very wonderful, caring, supportive community.”
That included his friends, Russian coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won a world championship title together in 1994. “They were amazing champion skaters that wanted to build their professional lives in America,” Hamilton said, adding, “When you’re in skating, there are no national boundaries.”
Hamilton mourned the loss of “so much talent in this country” alongside the passing of two-time Olympic champion Dick Button, widely credited with revolutionizing the sport, who died Thursday at the age of 95.
“What's happened [in Washington] and the other loss that happened yesterday, the passing of the greatest skater of all time, Dick Button, it’s just been beyond anything I can handle, honestly,” he said.
Air traffic controller left shift early, source confirms
An air traffic control supervisor in the tower at Reagan Airport let a controller leave their shift early, a source familiar with the investigation confirmed to NBC News.
This detail, which was first reported by The New York Times, means that a single controller was atypically handling both plane and helicopter traffic in the area. Ideally, one controller is dedicated to helicopters while another controller handles planes, NBC News reported yesterday.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating whether the Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high at the time of crash. To do so, it will need to retrieve the precise data from the Blackhawk’s black box data recorder.
The NTSB said it has also brought in an in-house expert and veteran Blackhawk helicopter pilot from Alaska to assist in the investigation.
NTSB: Divers have searched ‘all accessible areas’ of the Potomac River
As recovery operations continue after the midair collision between an American Eagle flight and an Army helicopter, NTSB investigators say they have recovered the two black boxes from the plane and have searched “all accessible areas” of the Potomac River.
Tributes left on the banks of the Potomac River
A white rose is left on a rock close to the water's edge near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington yesterday.
Staffing concern could be 'small piece' of puzzle, NTSB member says
Concerns around staffing at the Reagan Washington National Airport air traffic control tower the night of the crash could just be a "small piece" of the puzzle in understanding what went wrong, a National Transportation Safety Board member investigating the disaster told NBC's "TODAY" show this morning.
J. Todd Inman said the investigation into what exactly happened that night is underway.
Asked to address concerns raised by a preliminary FAA report on the crash that said staffing at the control tower was "not normal," he said it was still unclear what role that might have played in the incident, if any.
"That is one small aspect of the overall investigation," he said, adding that having low staffing levels at an airport would not necessarily be an indication of a problem. "At times, you’ll have fluctuations of not only flights but also air traffic control," said Inman, the 48th member of the NTSB who was sworn in March 13 of last year, according to the safety board's website.
The investigation, he said, would "take as long as it takes" to help ensure that "no one has to suffer what those families are going through now."
Scene of crash quiet as rescue crews prepare to resume search
The scene of the deadly midair crash appeared to be largely quiet in the early hours of today in sharp contrast to this time yesterday.
Flashing lights on the Potomac River were the only visible sign marking the devastating scene in a livestream published online by The Associated Press.
Rescue crews are expected to return to the river this morning as they continue to search for the victims of the collision between the AA flight and the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter.
The bodies of dozens of victims have so far been pulled from the water, with the crash killing 67 people in total.
'Life is short. Hug your loved ones,' says D.C. man mourning wife killed in Potomac crash
Standing at Reagan Airport's Terminal 2 last night, Raza Hussain was texting his wife, Azra Hussain, minutes before her American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter.
“She said, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes,’” Raza Hussain told NBC Washington.
That was the last thing he heard from her before he saw hundreds of first responders race across the airport. “I was waiting and I started seeing a bunch of EMS vehicles speeding past me, like way too many than normal, and two, my texts weren’t going through,” he said.
Azra Hussain, 26, was a consultant from Washington, D.C. The daughter of Indian immigrants, she graduated with honors in 2020 from Indiana University and married her college sweetheart in August 2023, her husband said.
“My wife was such a giver,” Raza Hussain told NBC News Nightly. “She made me feel so loved.”
Azra Hussain was making a routine work trip to Wichita and her husband would always pick her up, he said. “I always help her load the bag into the car and give her a big hug and a kiss and then off we go.”
“I had dinner waiting at home,” he added.
Raza Hussain said he has been surrounded by loved ones who are all devastated by the tragic and unexpected loss. He also thanked all the first responders involved in the recovery operations, saying he was grateful for their work.
“Life is short,” he said. “Hug your loved ones.”