By Amofokhai Williams
Rescue teams have recovered 27 bodies from the wreckage of the American Airlines passenger jet that crashed, along with one from the military helicopter involved in the collision.
Authorities believe there were 64 people aboard the commercial aircraft and three crew members on the military helicopter at the time of the accident.
Both aircraft were operating within their designated flight paths when the crash occurred, CNN quoted Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as saying.
“This was not unusual with a military aircraft flying along the river and another aircraft preparing to land at Reagan National Airport,” Duffy said.
Investigators have located the remains of the American Airlines jet, which broke apart on impact, Duffy confirmed.
The Alarmee reports that search teams continue to recover debris as they piece together the sequence of events leading up to the disaster.
American Airlines’ CEO Robert Isom appeared to shift responsibility for the crash toward the military aircraft.
“At this time, we don’t know why the military helicopter entered the path of the PSA aircraft,” Isom stated during a Thursday morning press briefing.
While officials are awaiting a full investigation, Duffy suggested the accident could have been avoided.
“We are going to wait for all the information to come in, but from what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” he said.
Despite ongoing recovery efforts, Reagan National Airport is set to resume operations at 11 a.m. Thursday.
Each airline will determine whether to proceed with scheduled flights, but the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has deemed conditions safe for landings.
“All are comfortable allowing planes to arrive again,” said CEO Jack Potter.
