Connect with us

News

55 of the 67 victims have been recovered from the D.C. plane crash

Published

on

55 of the 67 victims have been recovered from the D.C. plane crash

Rescue and salvage crews work near the wreckage of an American Airlines jet in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Sunday in Arlington, Va.

Jose Luis Magana/AP


hide caption

toggle caption

Advertisement

Jose Luis Magana/AP

Officials have recovered the bodies of 55 of the 67 victims killed after an Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane collided at low altitude near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last week.

“It’s my belief that we’re going to recover everyone,” said D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly during a Sunday briefing on the victim recovery efforts and debris removal.

Divers are still searching the frigid Potomac River for the remains of 12 people. The waterway remains closed to unauthorized vessels.

Advertisement

All 64 people aboard AA Flight 5342 and all three people in the Black Hawk helicopter were killed the Wednesday night collision, the deadliest air crash to happen in the country in two decades.

The process of lifting the wreckage out of the river will start Monday.

“Our goal is to really lift as much as we can, given the fact that we are also accounting for the human remains component,” said Col. Francis Pera of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into how the crash could have happened.

The NTSB said Saturday that the airplane — an inbound flight from Wichita approaching one of DCA’s three runways — was 325 feet in the air, give or take 25 feet, at the time of impact. Early information suggests the Army helicopter was flying above 200 feet, the maximum allowed altitude for the path it was on, according to the independent federal agency.

Advertisement

The helicopter was on a training mission, and investigators are working to confirm whether the crew had on their night vision while flying the clear, dark skies.

The collision has renewed concerns about the area’s level of air traffic congestion, which leaves little room for error in the airspace above major transport hubs that serve the nation’s capital region.

News

Iran’s fight for survival / The widening war / Trump’s nebulous goals : Sources & Methods

Published

on

Iran’s fight for survival / The widening war / Trump’s nebulous goals : Sources & Methods
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is spilling out across the region. What are the goals? And how does it end?Host Mary Louise Kelly talks with International Correspondent Aya Batrawy, based in Dubai, and Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, about the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Six days of war have turned the middle east upside down, and it’s still not clear how the U.S. will determine when its objectives have been accomplished.Recommended Iran reading:Blackwave by Kim GhattasAll the Shah’s Men by Stephen KinzerPrisoner by Jason RezaianPersian Mirrors by Elaine SciolinoListener spy novel recommendation: Pariah by Dan FespermanEmail the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgNPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.
Continue Reading

News

Map: 4.9-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Louisiana

Published

on

Map: 4.9-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Louisiana

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 4 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “light,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.  All times on the map are Central time. The New York Times

A light, 4.9-magnitude earthquake struck in Louisiana on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The temblor happened at 5:30 a.m. Central time about 6 miles west of Edgefield, La., data from the agency shows.

U.S.G.S. data earlier reported that the magnitude was 4.4.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

Advertisement

Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Central time. Shake data is as of Thursday, March 5 at 8:40 a.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Thursday, March 5 at 10:46 a.m. Eastern.

Continue Reading

News

Donald Trump has no ‘phase two’ plan for Iran war, says US senator

Published

on

Donald Trump has no ‘phase two’ plan for Iran war, says US senator

To read this article for free

Register now

Once registered, you can:

• Read free articles
• Get our Editor’s Digest and other newsletters
• Follow topics and set up personalised events
• Access Alphaville: our popular markets and finance blog

Continue Reading

Trending