Officials have recovered the cockpit voice recorder, commonly known as the black box, from the helicopter involved in the crash that claimed the lives of 67 people at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday.
Emergency responders plan to intensify recovery efforts over the weekend to retrieve debris from the crash site.
The accident occurred when an American Airlines flight carrying 64 passengers collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that had three soldiers on board.
In response to the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has imposed restrictions on helicopter traffic around the airport due to officials’ concerns about overcrowding in the airspace.
As of Friday, authorities had identified 28 victims and recovered 41 bodies from the water. Officials stated that the remaining bodies would not be found until recovery teams can lift the wreckage of the plane from the riverbed.
Investigators retrieved the black boxes from the passenger plane’s wreckage the day following the collision.
Once those black boxes undergo a process to remove moisture, data extraction will begin “very soon,” National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Todd Inman told reporters Friday evening.
“We just have to work through a number of steps,” Inman said. NTSB officials have yet to determine the cause of the collision.
According to Inman, the “main lifting” phase of the salvage operation, led by the U.S. Navy, is scheduled to commence on Saturday. Before divers can re-enter the water, parts of the aircraft must first be removed.
Authorities aim to map the debris field in the river to gain insight into how the aircraft responded to the collision.
Helicopter Black Box Recovered in Washington DCUsing cranes, recovery teams will begin extracting large sections of the wreckage from the water on Sunday, with the effort expected to continue throughout the week, Inman said.
More than 500 personnel have been working tirelessly at the crash site in the Potomac River, Washington DC fire chief John Donnelly stated.
When asked about reports that a single air traffic controller was responsible for managing both helicopter and airplane traffic in the area, Inman declined to comment on specifics.
However, he confirmed that officials would be reviewing the controller’s performance over the past several weeks, with particular attention to the 72 hours leading up to the crash.
“Obviously, we’ll be looking at not only staffing that day…[but also] how many people, what job functions they’ve done, are they being combined.” The Air Traffic Control group is continuing interviews as part of the investigation.
Inman was also asked whether his team has been in contact with the White House. President Donald Trump has suggested, without evidence, that the helicopter involved in the crash “was flying too high.”
Recordings of air traffic control conversations published online indicate that a controller attempted to warn the helicopter about the approaching American Airlines plane in the seconds before impact.
The helicopter pilot appeared to acknowledge the warning, but moments later, the collision occurred.
Trump has also implied that diversity hiring practices at the FAA may have contributed to safety concerns.
“Our job is to find the facts,” Inman stated. “More importantly, our job is to make sure this tragedy doesn’t happen again—regardless of what anyone may be saying.”