The US National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed that wreckage from American Airlines flight 5342 has been transferred to a secure location for a full wreckage layout and examination. This comes as salvage teams continue to retrieve parts of the aircraft from the Potomac River.
Wreckage from the Bombardier CRJ700 that has been recovered includes the aircraft's right wing, its centre fuselage, along with a significant portion of the plane's forward cabin and cockpit.
The American Airlines flight that was travelling from Wichita, Kansas to Ronald Regan National Airport in Washington D.C on January 29, 2025, collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter while on final approach to the airport. All 64 passengers and crew on-board the jet lost their lives, along with three people on the army helicopter.
Examination of the wreckage will include highlighting the general airworthiness of the aircraft, along with identifying Traffic Awareness and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) related components and checking cockpit switch positions and instrument readings.
In a statement the NTSB also confirmed that the recovery of the Black Hawk helicopter is expected to take place later this week.
The NTSB is expected to release a preliminary report into the accident within the next month.