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Boston flights to and from Reagan National Airport resume after deadly Potomac River crash

First passengers to arrive in Boston after D.C. plane crash describe somber flight
First passengers to arrive in Boston after D.C. plane crash describe somber flight 02:27

BOSTON - Flights in and out of Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. were cancelled Thursday morning, hours after a jet and a military helicopter collided and crashed into the Potomac River.

At Logan Airport in Boston, every flight to and from Reagan National was cancelled until 11 a.m., according to Massport. Flights resumed at Reagan National at 11 a.m. Officials recommended that people with travel plans check with their airline to see if any changes have been made.

Delta, JetBlue and American Airlines have frequent flights daily between both airports. The two other airports in the Washington area, Dulles and BWI, remained open.

Somber flight to Boston

Ryan Fandetti was among the first passengers to take off from Reagan National Airport Thursday morning. He said it was a somber flight to Boston. 

"Pretty quiet on the plane. There was definitely a couple of jumpy folks," Fandetti said. 

He was among the passengers who were due to fly to Boston Wednesday night before the airport closed. 

"We were on the plane sitting on the runway," Fandetti said. "We got right off the plane and looked out the glass and saw about four dozen first responders, police, fire, all that stuff. It was a little bit surreal." 

That fiery crash and the victims are at the top of mind for many arriving at Logan Airport Thursday. 

Passenger Jeff Koczela saw the recovery efforts on the Potomac River from his window seat. "I saw the flotilla out there doing the rescue mission, you know finishing that up in the river," Koczela said. "That was just something that we don't normally see."  

American Eagle flight 5342

American Eagle flight 5342 had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, and was approaching for landing at Reagan National Airport when it collided in midair with an Army Black Hawk helicopter around 9 p.m. Wednesday. 

It's not believed there were any survivors, authorities said at a news conference Thursday morning in Washington. Several bodies have been recovered. There were three people on the helicopter and 64 on the plane.

US skaters on plane crash

U.S. Figure Skating said "several members of our skating community" were on flight 5342.

"These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas," the organization said in a statement.

The Skating Club of Boston later confirmed two of their teenage skaters, their mothers and two coaches were killed in the crash.

No other information on passengers is available at this point in the investigation. 

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said any family or friends looking for information about their loved ones can call the airline's help line at 1-800-679-8215.

This is the first commercial airline disaster in the United States in nearly 16 years.

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