Officials in Washington, D.C., have confirmed that all 67 victims have been found in the Potomac River after a joint recovery operation following a tragic midair crash involving a commercial plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. Out of the total victims, 66 have been positively identified.
The identification, officials added, marks a significant step in bringing closure to the families and the community.
Among the victims, 60 were passengers on American Airlines flight 5342, four were crew members on the same flight, and three were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter.
The recovery efforts have been ongoing at the crash site in the river since the incident involving a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a Bombardier CRJ700 airliner operated by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines.
Emergency response teams including DC Fire and EMS, DC Police and others, assess airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport, Jan. 30, in Arlington, Va. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
While air traffic control data had the plane’s altitude at 200 feet at impact, Inman said they “have not finalized that and need to get more granularity to it,” and that data from the Black Hawk’s recorder is also needed to answer for the apparent 100-foot difference in altitude.
Although the data is available, it could take time to fully understand what caused the crash that night.
Military and other government helicopters fly this route almost daily, according to a senior Army pilot and warrant officer.
Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
