Timeline of last week’s air disaster in Washington

BY  JESSE BEDAYN
Associated Press

It has been just over a week since a commercial jetliner from Wichita and an Army helicopter collided in midair near Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport, killing 67 people in the deadliest U.S. air disaster since 2001.

Even as salvage crews continue to haul the wreckage out of the Potomac River, investigators are seeking answers about what happened.

From the minutes before the crash to the ensuing days of questions, here is a look at the timeline of events:

Jan. 29

At around 8:15 p.m. American Airlines Flight 5342, with 64 people on board, begins its initial descent into Reagan National.

At 8:43, from the airport’s tower, a controller asks the plane’s pilots to switch from landing on Runway 1 to Runway 33. Nearby an Army Black Hawk helicopter, referred to as PAT25 by air traffic control, is flying south over the River. The skies are clear.

At 8:46, the controller radios the Black Hawk crew to say a passenger jet, referred to as CRJ, is at 1,200 feet (365 meters) and circling to Runway 33.

At 8:47, as the two aircraft near each other, the controller again radios: “PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight?” Then, again: “PAT25, pass behind the CRJ.”

A crewmember on the helicopter replies that the aircraft “is in sight” and requests “visual separation” with the incoming plane -- allowing it to fly closer than otherwise may have been allowed if the pilots didn’t see the plane. Controllers approve the request.

About 20 seconds later a commotion is heard on the audio. A flash appears in the sky, and both aircraft fall into the river. Moments later someone says over the radio, “Tower, did you see that?”

In the ensuing hours, helicopters and inflatable boats light up the Potomac in search of survivors.

Jan. 30

In the morning President Donald Trump tells reporters there are no survivors and says it is unclear what led to the collision.

The names of those on both flights begin to emerge online, appearing in Facebook eulogies or statements from grieving families.

By midday the bodies of all three soldiers in the helicopter have been recovered.

About 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) downriver from the crash site, Dean Naujoks, who patrols the Potomac for the Waterkeeper Alliance, finds pages from the flight manual, a piece of the plane’s cabin wall and dozens of sugar packets stamped with the American Airlines logo. He turns the items over to the FBI.

In the evening the airplane’s cockpit voice and flight data recorders are recovered and sent to labs for evaluation.

Jan. 31

It is raining as police boats comb the Potomac for victims and investigators search for clues as to what happened.

Officials announce that the Black Hawk’s black box has recovered and the flight data is being reviewed, along with the actions of the military pilot and air traffic control.

Over 300 responders are on the scene throughout the day, including dive teams. By the afternoon the remains of 41 people have been pulled recovered.

The Army releases the names of two of the dead soldiers: Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, the crew chief; and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland.

Feb. 1

The rain clears. A Coast Guard cutter outfitted with a crane waits nearby as recovery team members slip into the chilly water to continue the search.

At a news conference, investigators say they are trying to work out a discrepancy in the altitude data between the helicopter and the airliner.

Investigators say they hope the helicopter’s black box can help reconcile difference. The box was waterlogged, delaying retrieval of its data.

The Army identifies the third soldier who died in the helicopter: Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach. She is described by friends as “brilliant and fearless.”

Feb. 2

Officials say the number of victims whose remains have been recovered has risen to 55 and they are confident the rest will be found.

As the search continues, salvage crews prepare to lift wreckage from the Potomac.

Col. Francis B. Pera of the Army Corps of Engineers says divers and salvage workers are adhering to strict protocols and will stop moving debris if a body is found.

The “dignified recovery” of remains takes precedence over all else, he says.

Feb. 3

Salvage crews recover an engine and large pieces of fuselage of the airliner and work to retrieve a wing.

Portions of the helicopter and plane that were pulled from the water are loaded onto flatbed trucks and taken to a hangar for investigation.

Families of the victims gather on the banks of the Potomac.

Feb. 4

Early on in the day, crews working in choppy conditions raise a number of large pieces of the jetliner including the right wing, the center fuselage and parts of the forward cabin, cockpit, tail cone and rudder.

Investigators announce that they are examining new data that could shed light on the altitude discrepancy.

Authorities say the remains of all 67 victims of the collision have been recovered and all but one have been identified.