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Showing posts with the label American Airlines

The Anniversary of a Terrible Tragedy

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This evening in the one-year anniversary of the horrible mid-air crash in Washington, D.C. The National Transportation Safety Board announced it has concluded its investigation into the mid-air collision of a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight from Wichita to Washington's Reagan Airport. Sixty-seven people lost their lives. It was the first mid-air collision in the United States involving a commercial airliner since 1960. There is more on the crash here .  U.S. Figure Skating With the Olympics beginning in a week, it is worth noting that a number of members of the U.S. Skating Team were on board after their yearly competition, which was held in Wichita. According to media reports, 28 people associated with U.S. skating were killed in the crash.  A prayer vigil was held in Wichita today and the Diocese of Washington held a special Mass for the victims and their families. The City of Alexandria announced today that it is going to build a memorial on the bank ...

"In the Embrace of a Loving God"

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President Trump a few moments ago addressed the families and friends of those affected by last night's horrible crash and offered words of condolences from himself and the First Lady. He assured families their loved ones were in "the embrace of a loving God." I would also like to offer my prayers and condolences to the loved ones of everyone aboard both the American Airlines jet and the Blackhawk helicopter. It is a terrible coincidence that so many aboard were from the U.S. and Russian figure skating community (the U.S. championships were held in Wichita this past weekend).  Finally, the courage and respect of the first responders (below) was something all Americans should be proud of. Having to fight the river's current with the water temperature 34° in a desperate quest to find survivors is far beyond the call of duty. The photo is from Rep. Ben Crenshaw's twitter account.  In addition, world champion Russian skaters (per the Kremlin) Evgenia Shishkova and Vadi...

Coverage of the American Eagle / Blackhawk Helicopter Mid-Air Crash in Washington

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The U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held in Wichita this past weekend. These are the people who skate for Team USA in the Winter Olympics. There is more here . The story just gets worse and worse. There were a number of skaters and coaches aboard from both the U.S. and abroad.  Horrible aircraft mid-air crash this evening: American Airline's flight 5342 from Wichita to Washington-Reagan crashed into a military Blackhawk VIP helicopter. Of course, Wichita is my favorite city and I had friends on that flight as recently as last week. Please offer your prayers for all involved, including the first responders.  As of 10:55pm, 19 bodies have been recovered. That number is confirmed. No survivors have been found.  American Airlines has set up a number for families and others:  (800) 679-8215.  Reagan National Airport will be closed until 11am Eastern. Video of the crash and of the air traffic control screens are just below. I used several sources to compile rel...