Jan. 31 (UPI) — The FAA issued a full ground stop that halted all air traffic at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for about an hour Friday morning, but delays because of weather will continue through midnight, officials said.
“Airport volume” led the Federal Aviation Administration to briefly issue the directive around 7:30 a.m. EST, two days following a deadly mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional flight and U.S. military helicopter.
“Departures to Ronald Reagan Washington National are delayed [an] average [of] 62 mins due to low ceilings,” the FAA wrote in an update, adding some flights had been delayed up to 143 minutes because of the weather.
Officials continued recovery efforts Friday morning, warning members of the public not to touch any debris they encounter from the collision between American Eagle flight 5342 and the military helicopter.
“If you believe you have information related to the recovery efforts in the Potomac or Anacostia Rivers or on the shore, immediately call 911. Do not touch or remove the item(s). Following this guidance is critical to supporting the impacted families & investigation,” the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments wrote on X and Facebook.
So far, 40 of the 67 bodies involved in the crash have so far been recovered.
Authorities on Thursday confirmed they have recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the Bombardier-made CRJ700 aircraft. The two devices are commonly referred to as the black boxes.
Black boxes from the U.S. Army Sikorsky H-60 helicopter have not yet been recovered, CNN reported, citing sources within the National Transportation Safety Board.
The New York Times published a report Friday alleging the military helicopter involved in Wednesday’s deadly mid-air collision near the airport may have been flying at a higher-than-permitted altitude at the time of the crash, citing information from four people with knowledge of the situation but who were not permitted to speak publicly about it.
President Donald Trump on Friday also said the helicopter was flying to high although it wasn’t immediately clear if his comments came in response to the New York Times piece or from an official briefing.
“The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200-foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it?,” Trump wrote Truth social media platform.
Authorities have confirmed Air Traffic Controller staffing within the airport’s tower was “not normal” on the night of the collision.
Almost one year ago, the FAA launched a program to recruit and retain new air traffic controllers in an effort to curb high attrition and transfer rates in the profession across the country.
