The operation to remove American Airlines Flight 5432 and the Army Black Hawk helicopter in Wednesday's midair crash at DCA will take several days.
The bodies of 55 out of 67 victims killed when a plane and helicopter crashed near Reagan National Airport have been recovered from the Potomac River.
“We’re going to recover everyone,” said D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly. “If we knew where they were, though, we would already have them out, so we have some work to do as the salvage operation goes on, and we will absolutely stay here and search until such point as we have everybody.”
Recovery crews rehearsed to prepare for recovery operation when they will lift the wreckage of the plane out of the Potomac River using a crane in the middle of the river, WRC reported.
Donnelly said divers were unable to gain access to the bodies of the remaining victims. That's why the fuselage is being removed from the water.
Those divers have been going into the water with cameras on their helmets. Debris spread out in the water is making the operation more difficult.
A D.C. police diver was hospitalized for hypothermia, but is expected to be OK.
Once the plane wreckage is removed, it will then be taken to a hangar for the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
Families of the victims visited the banks near the crash scene over the weekend.
