FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Rescue efforts continued Thursday in the Potomac River after a midair collision Wednesday night near Washington, D.C., where an Army helicopter flew into the path of an American Airlines jet as it was landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, officials said.
All 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the jet are feared dead, making it potentially the worst U.S. aviation disaster in nearly 25 years, officials said Thursday. At least 28 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters.
The crash brings back chilling memories of another tragedy in the same river.
On Jan. 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90, bound for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, stalled shortly after takeoff from Washington National Airport — now Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Authorities said the Boeing 737 struck the Interstate 395 overpass before plunging into the Potomac River.
Investigators attributed the crash to a lack of de-icing and pilot error.
Investigators said of the 79 people on board, only four passengers and one crew member survived. Four others on the bridge were also killed.
The deadliest recent U.S. commercial air disaster occurred on Feb. 12, 2009, near Buffalo, New York.
Authorities said Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed into a house, killing all 45 passengers, four crew members, and one person on the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board cited pilot error in response to stall warnings as the probable cause.