Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at night
The deadly crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. resulted in the cancellation of flights to and from Ronald Reagan National Airport overnight and the closure of the airport.
The search-and-rescue mission is now a recovery mission, which typically begins immediately after the threat to human life has subsided. There were no survivors from either aircraft. The goal of the recovery phase is to bring the affected area back to some degree of normalcy and locate and recover the bodies of any passengers or crew members still unaccounted for.
The airport reopened at approximately 11 a.m. Thursday, as the search continues for the 64 people on board the American Airlines plane that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter.
As of 12:45 p.m. EST, 51% of Reagan National’s outbound flights, or 273 movements, had been cancelled and an additional 3%, or 15, had been delayed. On the inbound side, 53% or 243 flights, were cancelled.
Flights to and from Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. were not impacted by the incident. Travelers should, however, check with their airline for the status of specific flights.
In addition, 73 outbound flights from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the home of American Airlines, representing 3% of operations, and 90 inbound flights, were cancelled as of that time.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
