Passengers at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport said they were shocked by the midair collision of a passenger plane and helicopter near the airport Wednesday night, and "couldn't help having a little fear in the back of mind."
The American Airlines plane had 60 passengers and four crew members, while three U.S. Army airmen were onboard the Black Hawk helicopter.
All 67 people have been confirmed dead. The Chinese Embassy in the United States said on Thursday that two Chinese citizens were among the victims.
"I just..., my heart just goes out, because anytime there is a loss of life..., all lives are precious," said a passenger named Lisa.
"Very sad. I kind of feel kind of disrespectful to even be going... we are taking the kids to Disney, and we kind of feel... kind of just quite sad about it. We're still.... I mean I'm sure it was just a once-in-a-lifetime thing that probably won't happen again, but you can't help but have that a little fear in the back of your mind," said another passenger named Lori.
The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport resumed operation at 11:00 Thursday morning, while further clear-up work was underway in the river near the airport.
An internal report by the Federal Aviation Administration suggested that the controller on duty when the deadly aircraft collision happened was doing a job usually handled by two people, U.S. media reported Thursday.
Staffing at the air traffic control tower at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was "not normal" during the deadly late-night crash, The New York Times quoted a preliminary report as saying.
The report said the controller who was handling helicopters in the airport's vicinity on Wednesday night was also instructing planes that were landing and departing from its runways - jobs typically assigned to two different controllers.
At a press conference in the White House earlier in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump said that there were some warnings prior to the collision, "but the warnings were given very, very late," adding that there is also "a pilot problem" from the standpoint of the helicopter.
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Passengers shocked by DC aircraft collision
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Passengers shocked by DC aircraft collision