The nation awoke on January 30th to the devastating news of a deadly midair collision between an American Airlines regional passenger jet and a military helicopter in the Washington DC area.

American Airlines Flight 5342 out of Wichita, Kansas, was making a landing approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport just before 9 pm on January 29th when its flight path intersected with a UH-60 Black Hawk carrying three service members on a training exercise out of Virginia’s Fort Belvoir. The two aircraft collided in midair, generating a fireball that was seen by witnesses on the ground, and plunged into the Potomac River.

All 67 souls on board the two aircraft perished, making this the deadliest air crash in the US in more than two decades. Recovery efforts in the Potomac are ongoing as of the writing of this piece. Among the passengers on the jet were a number of promising figure skaters, parents, and coaches returning from an elite training camp, six of whom were affiliated with the Skating Club of Boston.

The entire Sheff & Cook team was devastated to learn of this terrible accident. We extend our deep condolences to all of the victims’ families as well as the larger figure skating and military communities who are mourning those we have lost.

Many important questions still exist as to what exactly led to this crash and the incident is under active investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, and the helicopter’s black box have been recovered. We hope there will be an in-depth, but prompt, analysis of the cause in order to give the victims’ families the closure they so greatly deserve, and so that further tragedies of this nature can be prevented.

If you or someone you love has suffered catastrophic injury or wrongful death, contact our team for a consultation.