The tragic last text that his wife sent him has been made public by the spouse of one of the passengers on the American Airlines flight that went down yesterday evening over Washington, DC.
The Federal Aviation Authority (FDA) reports that the aircraft struck a US Army helicopter as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at approximately 21:00 local time.
According to reports, the aircraft carried four crew members and sixty passengers. Meanwhile, three troops reportedly engaged in a training exercise were aboard the military chopper.
Horrifying CCTV footage of the moment the jet and chopper collided, captured from a nearby building, has gone viral online. Before both planes plummeted into the Potomac River, a sphere of flames could be seen exploding upon impact.
Last night, officials in Washington, DC, insisted that they are concentrating on the ongoing rescue attempt and declined to confirm claims of casualties.
About 300 rescuers on rubber boats have been sent out on the Potomac River to look for survivors, according to John Donnelly, the chief of fire and emergency services in Washington, DC, as reported by the BBC.
“The challenge is access, there is wind, pieces of ice (on the water). It is dangerous and hard to work in,” Donnelly said.
