Washington, D.C
Multiple fatalities as aircraft collide over Washington DC and crash into river
Multiple people have been killed in a mid-air collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an army helicopter in Washington DC.
The aircraft crashed over the Potomac River and there is now a massive search and rescue effort involving multiple agencies at the scene.
Local media is reporting several bodies have been pulled from the freezing water.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said on social media that “we know there are fatalities,” though he did not say how many.
American Airlines said 60 passengers and four crew were on board at the time of the crash.
An official from the US Army has confirmed three soldiers were on board the helicopter.
Webcams captured the moment with the vision appearing to show two small aircraft nearing each other before erupting into a ball of flames.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the midair crash occurred about 9pm, local time, when Flight 5342, that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to a runway at to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
It occurred in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, almost 5 kilometres south of the White House and the Capitol.
Investigators will try to piece together the moments before the collision, including contact with air traffic controllers as well as a loss of altitude by the passenger jet.
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A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at the airport, and the pilots said they were able.
Controllers then cleared the plane to land. Flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asks the helicopter if it has the arriving plane in sight.
The controller makes another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.” Seconds after that the two aircraft collide.
Rescue boats have been searching the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (AP: Julio Cortez)
Police said multiple agencies were involved in a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River, which borders the airport.
The temperature in Washington DC on Wednesday night, local time, is expected to drop to a low of 2 degrees Celsius.
The airport said that all take-offs and landings had been halted as emergency personnel responded to an aircraft incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering more information on the incident.
There has not been a fatal US passenger airplane accident since February 2009, but a series of near-miss incidents in recent years have raised serious safety concerns.
American Airlines said it would provide more information as it became available to the company.
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TNND — A new report from the House Oversight Committee alleges former D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to manipulate crime data. The committee released the report on Sunday, less than a week after Smith announced she was stepping down.
You’re lulling people into this false sense of security. They might go places they wouldn’t ordinarily go. They might do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association.
Included in the report were transcribed interviews with the commanders of all seven D.C. patrol districts and the former commander currently on suspended leave. One was asked, “Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?” Their response, “Yes, I mean extremethere’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration.”
Every single person who lives, works, or visits the District of Columbia deserves a safe city, yet it’s now clear the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about the true crime rates in our nation’s capital,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement.
“They are going to have to regain the public trust. Again, this is a huge integrity issue,” Brantner Smith said.
Among the reports findings, Smith’s alleged pressured campaign against staff led to inaccurate crime data. Smith punished or removed officers for reporting accurate crime numbers. Smith fostered a toxic culture and President Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in D.C. is working.
While Smith has not yet publicly responded to the report, she’s previously denied allegations of manipulating crime data, saying the investigation did not play a factor into her decision to step down at the end of the year.
My decision was not factored into anything with respect to, other than the fact that it’s time. I’ve had 28 years in law enforcement. I’ve had some time to think with my family,” Smith said earlier this month.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also released a statement Monday, writing in part that “the interim report betrays its bias from the outset, admitting that it was rushed to release.”
According to crime stats from the Metropolitan Police Department, since the federal law enforcement surge started in August, total violent crime is down 26%. Homicides are down 12% and carjackings 37%.
The first candle lit on the National Menorah near the White House in Washington, D.C., marked the first night of Hanukkah — and solemnly honored victims of the Bondi Beach shooting.
The National Menorah Lighting was held Sunday night, hours after gunmen opened fire on a crowd celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah at Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach. Fifteen people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor, and over three dozen others were being treated at hospitals.
Authorities in Australia said it was a terrorist attack targeting Jewish people.
Organizers behind the National Menorah Lighting said the news from Australia, along with the bitter cold, forced them to consider whether or not to hold the annual event.
After consulting with local law enforcement, National Menorah Lighting organizers decided to hold the event and honor the victims.
Several D.C.-area police departments issued statements confirming there are no known threats to local communities, but are monitoring just in case.
Montgomery County Executive Mark Elrich condemned the attack and said community safety is a priority.
“Acts of antisemitism, especially those meant to intimidate families and communities during moments of gathering and celebration, must be called out clearly and condemned without hesitation,” Elrich said. “I have heard directly from members of Montgomery County’s Jewish community who are shaken and concerned, and I want them to know that their safety is a priority.”
WASHINGTON (7News) — Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith is facing yet another scathing report accusing her of manipulating crime data in the city.
The 22-page document from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform comes less than a week after a separate draft report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and days after Chief Smith turned in her resignation.
The main difference between the Congressional report and the DOJ report is that this new one, released on December 14, contains transcribed interviews directly with commanders from all seven MPD patrol districts.
RELATED | DC Police settles with former employee over claims that crime numbers were manipulated
The testimony reveals how Chief Smith chastised and, in some cases, publicly humiliated staff in crime briefings.
“The Committee’s investigation heard consistent testimony about frustration and exhaustion among MPD commanders and the manifestation of a culture of fear, intimidation, threats, and retaliation by Chief Smith. Often, these manifestations were triggered whenever the Chief was presented with what she considers ‘bad news,’ particularly when that news pertained to any rise in public crime statistics. Chief Smith, according to testimonies, regularly took action against her subordinates who failed to aid in the preservation of her public image,” the report states on page two.
RELATED | Trump announces probe into DC police for inflating crime stats amid safety claims
The committee launched the investigation in August when whistleblowers came forward with concerns about data manipulation.
One line of questioning in the report states:
Question: Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?
Answer: Yes, I mean extreme… there’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration or regime, and you know, that has manifested publicly.
7News reached out to Mayor Bowser’s Office for a comment in response to the report. A spokesperson provided the following statement:
The men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department run towards danger every day to reduce homicides, carjackings, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and more. The precipitous decline in crime in our city is attributable to their hard work and dedication and Chief Smith’s leadership.
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I thank Chief Smith for her commitment to the safety of D.C. residents and for holding the Metropolitan Police Department to an exacting standard, and I expect no less from our next Chief of Police.
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