DAYTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — Days after an Army helicopter and an American Airlines plane collided in Washington D.C., recovery teams are hard at work trying to retrieve bodies and wreckage from the Potomac River.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00 p.m., 41 of the 67 victims are accounted for and both black boxes from the plane have been found.
Despite this, travelers heading through Dayton International Airport told News Center 7′s Mason Fletcher they aren’t concerned about taking off to their destination.
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Andrew Cohen, who was heading to Atlanta Georgia, said he travels for work often and that he watched as the aftermath of Wednesday’s crash unfolded.
“So I was surprised. I stayed up way too late last night watching the news,” Cohen said.
Cohen said he’s never been nervous for a flight, and Wednesday’s crash hasn’t changed that for him.
“There’s nothing to be worried about in terms of airplane safety or anything like that. So I’m not concerned at all. I mean, It’s been 15, 16, years since we’ve had an incident like that,” Cohen said.
Gil Turner, who has been the Director of Aviation for Dayton International for the last 23 years, said Wednesday’s crash didn’t have a severe impact on their operations.
“There was no direct impact to the Dayton International Airport other than there were several flights were canceled,” Turner said.
Turner did say that some employees at the airport were affected.
“We know that there are a lot of people that, as you know, that work for PSA airlines here that were impacted by this,” Turner said.
Turner declined to comment on air traffic control and any concerns fliers might have until more details about the crash are released.
One Air Traffic Control Worker was managing helicopters and some planes from Reagan National Airport Tower at the time of the collision.
Turner said that there are at least two Air Traffic Controllers at all times at Dayton International.
News Center 7 has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration what they do if an Air Traffic Controller is unable to make their shift, but have not heard back.
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