Salvage operations are underway Monday to remove an American Airlines plane's fuselage from the Potomac River following its midair collision with an Army helicopter last week. Search crews hope that will allow them to recover the remains of the final victims.

Washington

A regional jet carrying 64 people collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC.

D.C. Crash

Salvage operations are currently underway to recover the fuselage of an American Airlines plane that crashed in the Potomac River following its midair collision with a U.S. Army helicopter. This difficult task is part of ongoing efforts to recover the remains of the final victims and provide closure for their families. The plane's fuselage, now in several pieces, is the focus of this first stage of recovery efforts. 

The initial phase involves removing one of the engines that is weighing down the midsection of the airplane, with the aim to access previously unreachable sections of the fuselage. This may enable recovery teams to locate any remaining victims and eventually lift the fuselage from the river onto a barge. Additionally, a wing located in the area will be targeted for recovery.

Victims' families were recently escorted by police to a viewing point at the edge of Washington's Reagan National Airport. This allowed them to observe the crash site from a distance and pay their respects. The gathering provided families a somber opportunity to connect with one another and confront the tragedy firsthand.



Operations underway to recover remains of final D.C. crash victims

Major, step in the investigation into last week's deadly midair collision between an Army helicopter and a commercial flight in Washington, D.C. Salvage operations are underway this morning to remove the plane's fuselage from the Potomac River. Search crews hope that will allow them access areas they haven't been able to reach and bring some closure to the victims' families. Let's bring in senior transportation correspondent Chris Van Cleve to update us on the latest. So Chris, what can you tell us this morning about what those operations crews are doing at this very moment in the Potomac? Well, Vlad, it appears the plane is in at least three pieces. The focus is on recovering the airliner first. First step here, they think, will be to recover one of the engines that's resting on basically the midsection of the airplane that's weighing that down. They want to get the engine off of there. That then may free up a section of fuselage to be searched and for any remains to be recovered before it too is lifted out of the river and onto a barge. Finally, there's a wing in that area that they look to recover as well. So that's the first phase of the recovery effort. That's what should be going on today. From there, they can then move to the other large pieces of the airplane. That would be the front section, the cockpit, and then the tail section appears to be severed from the midsection of the airplane. And Chris, I noticed that, or I note that in your reporting earlier that we saw some video of the victim's families making their way to the crash site. Can you explain a little bit more in detail about what that was about and what they saw and who they communicated with? Sure. They received just a massive police escort out onto one of the runways here at Washington's Reagan National Airport, several busloads of people. They then gathered basically at the edge of one of the runways within sight of the wreckage for what appeared to be basically an opportunity for the families to pay their respects and to see this crash scene from the water's edge and take in that moment. It was for the families, so the folks that are leading this investigation, the fire chief said he wasn't there, that it was really an opportunity for the families to be together and to have an opportunity to, if they wanted, to see this wreckage from as close as people can easily get. Incredibly heartbreaking. Chris Van Cleve reporting for us this morning. Chris, thank you very much, my friend.

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