All 67 victims of US plane crash found

AP news agency reported on February 5 that authorities have found the bodies of all 67 victims in the collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter in the Washington DC area (USA).

An American Airlines plane carrying 64 people collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three people on January 29. Both planes crashed into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport, killing all on board.

The National Transportation Safety Board is now reviewing new data on whether the helicopter flew above the 200-foot ceiling. Investigators say they need more data from the helicopter, which is still underwater.

Instruments on the American Airlines plane showed it was at an altitude of 320 feet, with a 25-foot drop, at the time of the crash.

Authorities on February 4 continued to salvage large pieces of the passenger plane, including the right wing, mid-body and parts of the front cabin, cockpit, tail cone and rudder.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the victims as they process this tragic loss,” officials said in a joint statement from local authorities and federal agencies involved in the search and rescue, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Navy dive teams, and Washington police and firefighters.

Officials said the chief medical examiner would work to positively identify the last body. The bodies of 66 victims had previously been identified.

Federal investigators are looking into the events leading up to the crash. Full investigations typically take a year or more, but they hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days.