Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
At least 80 dead, 11 girls from camp still missing after catastrophic flooding in Texas. Read the latest Chevron right
Chantal moving inland after making landfall in South Carolina. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

89°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

89°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Weather News

D.C. midair crash update: Potomac River opens as salvage operations end early

By Mike Heuer, UPI

Published Feb 12, 2025 11:31 AM EDT | Updated Feb 12, 2025 11:31 AM EDT

Copied

Partner Content

UPI

Federal salvage crews demobilize equipment Monday after completing wreckage removal from the Potomac (Photo credit: David J. Adams/U.S. Army)

Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The Potomac River is open again after federal recovery teams concluded their salvage operations following the deadly collision between a commercial airliner and a U.S. Army helicopter on Jan. 29.

Officials for the unified command consisting of the Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District, U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy's Supervisor of Salvage and Diving on Tuesday announced the completion of the recovery effort on Tuesday and six days sooner than expected.

"With wreckage removal and demobilization behind us, the Potomac is once again safe for navigation," said USACE Baltimore District Commander Col. Francis Pera. "It is our hope that this helps provide the region a small sense of normalcy following this tragic event."

Dive operations on Monday confirmed all major components from the two aircraft were recovered.

"We are proud of the unified efforts and partnerships that endured through this response and helped make this mission successful," Pera said of the recovery effort.

"Each day, we thought of those who lost their lives, their loved ones and the many incident responders impacted by this tragic event."

A passenger jet and a Blackhawk helicopter collided in midair on approach to Reagan National Airport on the evening of Jan. 29.

The midair collision on the evening of Jan. 29 killed all 64 passengers and crew on American Airlines-owned American Eagle Flight 5342 and all three soldiers aboard the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

The airliner was attempting to land at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington County, Va., while the crew aboard the Army helicopter were training for nighttime operations when they collided at a low altitude over the Potomac River.

Salvage crews recovered all bodies on Feb. 4 and the last large pieces of wreckage on Thursday.

All wreckage removed from the crash site was transported to a secure location to be laid out and examined by the National Transportation Safety Board that is investigating the accident and will determine if changes are needed to prevent similar deadly collisions.

Some small pieces of either aircraft might be found in the Potomac or Anacostia rivers or along their shorelines.

Anyone who might come across such items immediately should call 911 to report them and not touch or remove any items, according to the USACE.

Read more:

Boeing’s terrible year ends with worst aviation tragedy of 2024
Travelers say TikTok seatbelt hack makes sleeping on plane easier
Poop-powered planes: Could jet fuel made from sewage take off?
Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

At least 80 dead in Texas, 11 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

Jul. 6, 2025
video

Rescue operations underway after deadly Texas flooding

Jul. 6, 2025
video

What led to the deadly flooding in central Texas?

Jul. 6, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

At least 80 dead in Texas, 11 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

1 hour ago

Hurricane

Chantal moving farther inland after making landfall in South Carolina

3 hours ago

Weather News

Severe weather to storm through Plains, Upper Midwest this week

3 hours ago

Severe Weather

Storms kill 3 in New Jersey, knock out power across Northeast

2 days ago

Weather Forecasts

Heat, humidity return to the East

3 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

Wildfires are tearing through a popular tourist hotspot in Greece

2 days ago

Weather News

‘Shark Whisperer’ swims its way into our shark obsession

2 days ago

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

5 days ago

Weather News

France leads Europe in saying au revoir to beach and park smoking

3 days ago

Health

There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, new research shows

3 days ago

AccuWeather Weather News D.C. midair crash update: Potomac River opens as salvage operations end early
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...