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Chilling American Airlines crash 'evacuation conspiracy theory' confirmed by defence sources
Wednesday's collision between an American Airlines flight and a US military helicopter in Washington DC was the US' deadliest aviation disaster in more than two decades, killing 67 people
A 'conspiracy theory' surrounding Wednesday's collision between an American Airlines plane and a US military helicopter is true, defence sources have said.
The plane crash killed 67 people in Washington DC, making it the US' deadliest aviation incident in more than two decades and the first of two fatal flight incidents in the US in two days.
On Thursday (January 30), authorities abandoned the rescue mission to find 60 passengers and four flight crew members aboard the plane and three helicopter crew members, instead focusing on recovery efforts.
"At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident," DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said in a news conference.
Pilot-in-charge Chief Warrant Office 2 Andrew Eaves and crew chief Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara were named on Friday as those on board the helicopter. The family of the third victim, a female co-pilot, has requested that she remain anonymous.
Now, officials have confirmed the three soldiers had been practicing a drill in the event of an attack on the US' capital city. Those aboard the Black Hawk were rehearsing a plan which involves the evacuation of the White House when it collided with the passenger plane just before 9pm on Wednesday night.
The confirmation, reported by CBS News, comes after internet conspiracy theorists speculated on the nature of the Black Hawk's mission – and managed to guess correctly what the three late crew members were doing. Internet sleuths took to social media to guess the helicopter was tracing an emergency evacuation route for the president, which forms part of a Continuity of Government (COG) mission.
In the US, this refers to a set of five procedures to make sure government functions can continue in the event of disaster – including cyber, nuclear or terrorist attacks or a natural disaster. This includes protecting key personnel and infrastructure should all hell break loose.
An investigation is ongoing into the cause of Wednesday night's collision. Just two days after the tragic incident, the US was rocked by a second fatal aviation incident, killing at least six people including a little girl and her mother.
A medical transport jet plummeted to the ground seconds after take-off at 6pm local time on Friday (January 31) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The aircraft, which is thought to have taken off from Philadelphia Airport, was carrying the mother and child as well as four crew members when it went up in flames, causing multiple surrounding homes to catch fire and authorities to declare a major incident.
A recovery mission is ongoing and people have been advised to stay away from the affected area in the Northeastern Philadelphia neighbourhood. According to witnesses, homes have been destroyed and there is a "large debris field" surrounding the area, with multiple cars on fire. Speaking to LIVENOW, one eye witness said there was a "smell of fuel in the air" following the incident.
Shai Gold, a spokesperson for the company which owned the Philadelphia plane – a Learjet 55 – said: "When an incident like this happens, it’s shocking and surprising. All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical."
Daily Star Sunday
Wednesday's collision between an American Airlines flight and a US military helicopter in Washington DC was the US' deadliest aviation disaster in more than two decades, killing 67 people
A 'conspiracy theory' surrounding Wednesday's collision between an American Airlines plane and a US military helicopter is true, defence sources have said.
The plane crash killed 67 people in Washington DC, making it the US' deadliest aviation incident in more than two decades and the first of two fatal flight incidents in the US in two days.
On Thursday (January 30), authorities abandoned the rescue mission to find 60 passengers and four flight crew members aboard the plane and three helicopter crew members, instead focusing on recovery efforts.
"At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident," DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said in a news conference.
Pilot-in-charge Chief Warrant Office 2 Andrew Eaves and crew chief Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara were named on Friday as those on board the helicopter. The family of the third victim, a female co-pilot, has requested that she remain anonymous.
Now, officials have confirmed the three soldiers had been practicing a drill in the event of an attack on the US' capital city. Those aboard the Black Hawk were rehearsing a plan which involves the evacuation of the White House when it collided with the passenger plane just before 9pm on Wednesday night.
The confirmation, reported by CBS News, comes after internet conspiracy theorists speculated on the nature of the Black Hawk's mission – and managed to guess correctly what the three late crew members were doing. Internet sleuths took to social media to guess the helicopter was tracing an emergency evacuation route for the president, which forms part of a Continuity of Government (COG) mission.
In the US, this refers to a set of five procedures to make sure government functions can continue in the event of disaster – including cyber, nuclear or terrorist attacks or a natural disaster. This includes protecting key personnel and infrastructure should all hell break loose.
An investigation is ongoing into the cause of Wednesday night's collision. Just two days after the tragic incident, the US was rocked by a second fatal aviation incident, killing at least six people including a little girl and her mother.
A medical transport jet plummeted to the ground seconds after take-off at 6pm local time on Friday (January 31) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The aircraft, which is thought to have taken off from Philadelphia Airport, was carrying the mother and child as well as four crew members when it went up in flames, causing multiple surrounding homes to catch fire and authorities to declare a major incident.
A recovery mission is ongoing and people have been advised to stay away from the affected area in the Northeastern Philadelphia neighbourhood. According to witnesses, homes have been destroyed and there is a "large debris field" surrounding the area, with multiple cars on fire. Speaking to LIVENOW, one eye witness said there was a "smell of fuel in the air" following the incident.
Shai Gold, a spokesperson for the company which owned the Philadelphia plane – a Learjet 55 – said: "When an incident like this happens, it’s shocking and surprising. All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical."
Daily Star Sunday