Investigators have retrieved the black boxes from a tragic midair collision involving an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River. The crash, which occurred on January 29, claimed the lives of all 67 people aboard both aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that the recovered flight data and cockpit voice recorders will be analyzed to determine the cause of the collision. A preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has already raised concerns, revealing that air traffic control staffing at Reagan National Airport was “not normal” at the time of the incident.
American Eagle Flight 5342, traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C., carried 64 passengers and crew, while the Black Hawk helicopter had three soldiers on board. Among the victims were two teenage figure skaters, their mothers, and two renowned world champion coaches associated with the Skating Club of Boston. Also among those lost was prominent civil rights attorney Kiah Duggins, originally from Wichita.
As the investigation unfolds, tributes continue to pour in for the victims, while officials work to piece together the circumstances that led to this catastrophic collision.
