The chief executive of American Airlines flew from Fort Worth to Washington overnight after the crash near Reagan National Airport. The flight from Wichita, Kansas to Washington D.C. was operated by PSA Airlines as an American Eagle flight.
Thursday morning, American confirmed 60 passengers and four crew members were on board. The chief of fire and emergency services for Washington D.C. said no survivors were likely to be found.
"We're actively working with local, state and federal authorities on emergency response efforts and closely coordinating with PSA Airlines as they cooperate fully with the NTSB on the investigation," American CEO Robert Isom said Thursday morning.
Isom said a military helicopter appears to have flown into the path of Flight 5342 as it made its final approach.
"At this time, we don't know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft," he said.
American says families of passengers or crew members can get information by calling (800) 679-8215. Isom says American Airlines has activated its "Care Team."
"That's a group of specialists who are trained to support these types of responses," he says. "Additionally, we have members of our 'Go Team' on the ground here in DC. They're being deployed with resources to do everything we can to take care of the needs of the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew members. That is our sole focus."
"This is gut wrenching for our entire flying family," the Association of Flight Attendants--CWA wrote in a statement Thursday. "We must continue to support the families and respect their ability to get information about their loved ones before we share the names of crew who tragically died."
American had not had a fatal crash since November of 2001 when a flight taking off from JFK Airport in New York crashed shortly after takeoff.
PSA is a subsidiary of American. The airline says it operates 500 flights a day on behalf of American.
"This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, and first responders, along with their families and loved ones," Isom said in a video statement released Wednesday night.
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