Kansas’ entire congressional delegation is vowing to find answers for the families grieving loved ones after the deadly crash of a flight from Wichita to Washington D.C., which officials have said left no survivors.
A Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines PSA commercial jet that was moments from landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport Wednesday night, temporarily halting all flights in and out of the small but critically located airport.
“Our prayers are with the families and friends of those affected by the tragic plane crash that occurred in our nation’s capital. South Central Kansas is a close community, and it’s likely that many of us directly or indirectly know people who were on Flight 5342 on Jan. 29,” the lawmakers’ joint written statement said.
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“This is a sad day for Kansans and our nation, and this community, steeped in aviation and manufacturing history, will feel the pain of this catastrophe for years to come. We are grateful for the first responders and rescue crews who worked through the night.
“Our focus now is supporting the family and friends of those who perished, including the crew and military personnel, and then getting answers for the grieving individuals who have lost a loved one and making sure this doesn’t happen again.”
It was signed by GOP Kansas senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, as well as Republican House representatives Ron Estes, Tracey Mann, Derek Schmidt and the delegation’s lone Democrat, Sharice Davids.
Estes represents much of Wichita, where the flight originated.
Moran said in a press conference shortly after midnight Thursday he was familiar with the flight route, having lobbied American Airlines for it to begin last year.
President Donald Trump briefed reporters on the crisis earlier Thursday, saying there were no survivors from the crash.
Members of Trump’s new Cabinet, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, both promised to find swift answers for the families grieving loved ones after the crash.
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who represents Arlington County, where the airport is located, similarly said he would work toward accountability.
“As the local representative, I want the families to know that our office is available to serve you in any way that we possibly can in this time of grief and transition and loss,” Beyer said at another press conference Thursday morning.
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“And then, also, I’d just note that we are deeply grateful for the people who risked their lives last night on a moment’s notice and spent the whole night on the river in the ice and the wind, serving us.”
Beyer added that, through the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) probe into the crash, “we’ve got to make sure that, at the federal level and with the support of Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., we’re doing everything we can to make sure that this does not happen again.”
American Airlines has said 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the plane, and the airline encouraged any loved ones looking for information to call the numbers on its site.
U.S. officials are investigating why the Black Hawk helicopter flew into the path of the descending plane, Duffy told reporters.
“I would say the helicopter was aware there was a plane in the area,” he said.
Hegseth said the helicopter was manned by an experienced crew and was undergoing an “annual proficiency training flight.”
Duffy told reporters that while the collision was a highly unusual and tragic event, the two aircraft’s mutual patterns were not atypical.
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