More human remains were recovered Monday amid the wreckage of the commercial jet and Army helicopter that collided last week over the Potomac River, but D.C. officials did not say how close they are to recovering the last dozen bodies of those killed.
D.C. Fire and EMS Assistant Chief Gary Steen said more human remains were discovered in the water while the Coast Guard salvaged parts of the doomed American Airlines jet in the crash that killed 67 people.
“These remains, as well as remains that have been recovered previously, are in the process of being positively identified by the office of the chief medical examiner of the District of Columbia,” Chief Steen said at a Monday afternoon press event.
The assistant chief said he is still confident the outstanding victims will be found in or around the remaining wreckage.
Officials have recovered the bodies of 55 victims after the passenger jet from Wichita, Kansas, and an Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed into each other during the plane’s final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Authorities said 64 aboard the American Airlines flight, and a three-man crew inside the Black Hawk, were all killed in the midair collision on Wednesday.
Children as young as 11, vacationers, lawyers, college professors and foreign nationals were among those who died in the deadliest aviation accident since 2001.
That year, American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into a neighborhood in Queens, New York, and killed 265 people.
Army Corps of Engineers Col. Francis B. Pera said salvage crews completed their mission for Monday by removing one of the jet’s engines, its fuselage and one of its wings from the Potomac River.
He said some work stoppages were ordered as bodies were found during the operation.
“Our process is committed to the dignified process for recovery of the remains for personnel and passengers of the flight,” the colonel said.
Col. Pera said wind conditions Tuesday will limit the amount of time salvage boats can stay out on the water, but the aim is for crews to pull the cockpit from the river.
Officials refused to weigh in on the theory the helicopter caused the crash by ascending too high.
Prior reporting from The New York Times suggested the helicopter was flying higher than normal and slightly off course when the collision occurred.
“It’s important for us to not speculate because there are all kinds of reasons that you could deviate from an altitude,” U.S. Army Col. Mark Ott said at the briefing. “Something as simple as a flock of birds is in front of you, or you may deviate if you see something that’s an obstacle or other threat to your flight. And so I would wait and caution everybody, let’s just wait until the NTSB investigation.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is still trying to sort out altitude discrepancies from flight data logs that first came to light over the weekend.
The NTSB said the American Airlines jet’s flight recorder tracked its altitude at 325 feet, plus or minus 25 feet, when the collision occurred shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday.
However, the airport control tower showed the helicopter at 200 feet in altitude at the time of the crash. The helicopter was not supposed to fly above 200 feet to avoid the bustling air traffic near Reagan National.
Investigators said control tower data can be unreliable and are hoping the helicopter’s recovered black box can provide more insight once it has been treated for water damage.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.