The bodies of 67 people killed in Wednesday’s crash of an American Airlines jetliner have been recovered from two regional jets and an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River, officials said Tuesday. The Washington Fire and EMS Department said 66 of them have been identified.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, said Tuesday that a display screen at the air traffic control tower showed the helicopter was about 300 feet at the time of the collision. That’s 200 feet higher than the maximum altitude helicopters can fly in the area, according to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, but the NTSB warned that more information is needed, which will be provided after the Black Hawk is pulled from the water.

Rescuers have been working over the past few days to remove the wreckage of the Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft. So far, rescuers have taken out the right wing, the center fuselage, a section of the front of the cabin, the tail cone and other parts.

American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by its regional subsidiary PSA Aviation, collided with a helicopter seconds before landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., killing all 64 passengers and three military crew members aboard the Black Hawk. Officials said the helicopter was on a training mission.

It was the worst U.S. air disaster since 2001 and the first fatal large passenger plane crash in the country in nearly 16 years.

Investigators are still looking into the cause of the collision. The NTSB said it had questioned air traffic controllers on duty that night, including those who were working at the time of the collision.

The NTSB has recovered two data recorders from the American plane, as well as the recorder from the Black Hawk helicopter.

“NTSB investigators continue to transcribe the cockpit voice recorders from both aircraft. Synchronization of the Black Hawk flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder is ongoing,” the NTSB said Tuesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday announced an indefinite ban on helicopter flights in the area near the airport.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told employees in a note Tuesday that the company will observe a minute’s silence on Wednesday to mark the one-week anniversary of the crash.

“Caring for and supporting all those affected by this tragedy remains our top priority,” Isom said as he visited Wichita, Kansas, where the flight originated, to meet with local employees and officials.

While air crashes are extremely rare, American Airlines said it has set up what it calls its “CARE Team” for such rare disasters.

The team is made up of about 2,000 employee volunteers from across the company, according to the airline. They are trained by the airline’s emergency planning and response team to help victims’ families and provide information from the company. The airline said they also coordinate travel arrangements; arrange child, elder or pet care; assist with logistics such as changes of clothing, toiletries and transportation; and provide a listening ear to affected family members.

American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour and other operations staff traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to support the team, Isom said.

“Our CARE team has made a significant contribution in the wake of this unimaginable tragedy, and I am proud of all they have done,” he wrote.
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