Skip to content
NOWCAST WLWT News 5 at Noon
Live Now
1 / 2
Advertisement

'Terrible tragedy': Ohio governor reacts to deadly plane, helicopter crash near DC

'Terrible tragedy': Ohio governor reacts to deadly plane, helicopter crash near DC
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
      TODAY’S WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING. AND BACK HERE AT HOME, LOCAL PILOTS AND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ARE WEIGHING IN ON THE DEADLY CRASH. ALL OF US REALLY TELLING US THE SAME THING THAT REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT IS VERY CONGESTED AND THERE IS NO ROOM FOR MISTAKES TAKING OFF OR LANDING. WLWT NEWS FIVE’S KARIN JOHNSON IS HERE NOW, LIVE IN STUDIO TO EXPLAIN SORT OF THEIR EXPERTISE. HI THERE. KAREN. YEAH. HEY, SHARI. REALLY INTERESTING TO SPEAK WITH THEM. ONE RETIRED PILOT TOLD ME TODAY. ALL PILOTS KNOW WHEN FLYING INTO DCA, THEY MUST BE ON THEIR A-GAME. NOT ONLY IS IT CONGESTED AND BUSY, BUT THE AIRSPACE AROUND THE AIRPORT IS VERY LIMITED. YOU HAVE THE NATIONAL MALL, THE U.S. NAVAL OBSERVATORY, WHERE THE VICE PRESIDENT LIVES, ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE IS ALSO NEARBY, WHERE AIRSPACE IS RESTRICTED. LAST NIGHT, THE AIRPLANE PILOT WAS TOLD TO CHANGE RUNWAYS. HE WAS ORIGINALLY TOLD TO LAND ON THE RUNWAY. SEEN HERE, OUTLINED IN BLUE. THAT’S FACING NORTH AND SOUTH, BUT WAS THEN TOLD TO COME IN ON THE ONE TO THE RIGHT. LOCAL PILOTS WHO HAVE FLOWN INTO REAGAN SAY THAT’S NOT UNUSUAL AND THAT IS A NORMAL PROCEDURE. I EXPERIENCED THAT MYSELF MANY TIMES GOING IN THERE AS AIRLINE PILOTS, WE’RE TOLD, OKAY, FLY HERE OR FLY HERE OR WHATEVER, WHICHEVER RUNWAY WE’RE LANDING ON. AND THEN THE HELICOPTERS ARE TOLD, OKAY, WATCH OUT FOR THE AIRPLANES COMING IN. AND THE HELICOPTERS ALWAYS SAY, YEP, GOT THEM IN SIGHT. THEY PASS AROUND. SO THE QUESTION IS WHY DIDN’T THAT HAPPEN? BUT AGAIN, WE CAN’T PLACE BLAME ON ANYBODY AT THIS STAGE. AND SOMETHING CONCERNING TO ANOTHER PILOT. I SPOKE WITH THE FACT THE FAA RECENTLY ADDED FLIGHTS IN AND OUT OF REAGAN. HE TELLS ME IF ANYTHING, THERE NEEDS TO BE LESS TRAFFIC AT THAT AIRPORT.
      Advertisement
      'Terrible tragedy': Ohio governor reacts to deadly plane, helicopter crash near DC
      All 64 people aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter were feared dead in what was likely to be the worst U.S. aviation disaster in almost a quarter century, officials said Thursday.At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the jet late Wednesday as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, officials said. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.MORE COVERAGE:No survivors expected after American Airlines jet, Army helicopter collide midair near Reagan National AirportMap: See the paths of the plane and military helicopter that collided in Washington, D.C.Flight Data: Jet involved in D.C. collision was in Savannah just days agoFigure skaters and coaches on plane that collided midair near DCLawmakers across the country shared their reactions and condolences following the fatal collision, including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who shared a statement on his social media page."The collision between the US Army Blackhawk helicopter and the American Airlines plane near Reagan National in DC last night is a terrible tragedy. Fran and I join our fellow Ohioans in offering our prayers to all the victims and their families," DeWine said.The plane was found upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, and first responders were searching an area of the Potomac River as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, roughly 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) south of the airport, Donnelly said. The helicopter wreckage was also found. The flight, which was coming to D.C. from Wichita, Kansas, was a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet.A subsidiary of American Airlines, PSA Airlines has roots in Ohio.The airline, founded in 1979, is headquartered in Dayton. Wednesday afternoon, hours before the collision, the company announced it was moving its headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina, in January of next year.The U.S. Army described the helicopter as a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Military aircraft frequently conduct such training flights in and around the nation’s capital.

      All 64 people aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter were feared dead in what was likely to be the worst U.S. aviation disaster in almost a quarter century, officials said Thursday.

      At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the jet late Wednesday as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, officials said. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.

      Advertisement

      MORE COVERAGE:

      Lawmakers across the country shared their reactions and condolences following the fatal collision, including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who shared a statement on his social media page.

      "The collision between the US Army Blackhawk helicopter and the American Airlines plane near Reagan National in DC last night is a terrible tragedy. Fran and I join our fellow Ohioans in offering our prayers to all the victims and their families," DeWine said.

      This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

      The plane was found upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, and first responders were searching an area of the Potomac River as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, roughly 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) south of the airport, Donnelly said. The helicopter wreckage was also found.

      The flight, which was coming to D.C. from Wichita, Kansas, was a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet.

      A subsidiary of American Airlines, PSA Airlines has roots in Ohio.

      The airline, founded in 1979, is headquartered in Dayton. Wednesday afternoon, hours before the collision, the company announced it was moving its headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina, in January of next year.

      The U.S. Army described the helicopter as a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Military aircraft frequently conduct such training flights in and around the nation’s capital.