John Donnelly (00:00):
We good to go. Everybody in?
(00:19)
Welcome and thank you for being here. I'm John Donnelly, Chief of the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department, and I'm representing the Unified Command Team that is operating today. I'm joined today by Deputy Mayor Lindsay Apia, Metropolitan Police Department Executive Assistant Chief Jeff Carroll, Clint Osborne, the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Director for the District of Columbia. The Military District of Washington, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, from both the fire and police chiefs, the United States Coast Guard, the Maryland State Police, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and the Virginia State Police, and I'd like to thank all of them for being here as well.
(01:10)
We are here at Reagan National Airport with our Unified Command Team and we will provide an update on where recovery efforts stand. We'll also give more information about the cadence of updates from Unified Command going forward. I'm joined today by Terry Terry Liercke from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and the other members of the Unified Command Team.
(01:36)
As we continue to learn more about the victims, we are sharing our prayers and condolences with the families of the loved ones and those who are lost in this tragedy. And I want to thank again our response teams for their heroic efforts over the past 30 or so hours, including the team on this site as well as the teams that are supporting the families. This is heartbreaking work. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into what happened, and they will be providing updates later this afternoon. We will not be talking about the investigation in this conference.
(02:11)
So Terry Terry Liercke from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will now provide an update on airport operations, and then I will update you on the activities since our last briefing and the activities over the next operational period.
Terry Liercke (02:27):
Thank you, Chief. Again, my name's Terry Terry Liercke, I'm the Vice President Airport Manager of Reagan National Airport. Just wanted to give an update on where we stand. As we know, the airport is open and operating. We are in a reduced capacity and a reduced arrival rate due to the proximity of the recovery site. We do have two of our three runways that are closed. So as always, we do want to encourage passengers to reach out to their airlines for any potential flight delays. Typically, a full schedule here at National Airport would encompass about 800 flights a day using those three runways. We've had several obviously cancellations yesterday. Airlines are resuming as much as at possible normal operations, I think we have about 100 flights or so canceled today.
(03:20)
I do want to just recognize a lot of the airport teams who work behind the scenes, and we are here to support and coordinate with the ongoing recovery efforts as well as working with NTSB in their investigation. With that, I'll just turn over my remarks to the next speaker. Thank you.
John Donnelly (03:48):
So overnight, our teams continued search operations and surface work, including side sonar scanning, shoreline searches, and aerial searches. Also, two Coast Guard cutters have arrived on station, and you may be able to see them out there on the water. Other efforts off site included the NTSB, American and PAL Airlines, and district officials meeting with families at the Family Assistance Center and providing the support that they need to get through this horrible event. We have recovered 41 sets of remains and 28 of those victims have been positively identified, and as of six A.M. this morning, next of kin notifications have been made to 18 families.
(04:39)
Going forward with our recovery operations, search teams will continue to work the site. We'll do side sonar scanning, searching the shoreline, and aerial operations. Our dive teams are working in targeted areas and additional Coast Guard assets will arrive this afternoon. The salvage crews have begun to arrive on the scene and they're assessing the work that's going to be needed to recover the aircraft from the water. We expect those operations to begin no later than tomorrow afternoon. The teams are also working the shoreline down the river as we do expect some debris to be dragged by the current. And if members of the public believe they have information or have discovered potential wreckage, we're asking you not to touch it and to call 9-1-1, and we will send somebody out to get it.
(05:30)
Supporting the response team, this has been a tough response for a lot of our people. We've had over 300 responders operating at one time, and I think we've got about 500 people that have worked through the site. So the Unified Command has activated peer support for its first responders to make sure that everybody has somebody that can help us get through this. And the outpouring of support, people like the World Central Kitchens Relief Team and many of the local restaurants. The restaurants here at the airport have supported the people working, making sure they have food so they don't have to stop.
(06:05)
And I want to thank the rest of the community for their outpouring of support and the messages that they have given to the firefighters, police officers, military officials, and everybody else that's working. If you want to help, the Greater Washington Community Foundation has a relief fund. You can donate at the link above. Also be careful, avoid your fundraising scams, only trust verified sources. And ways you can help is to amplify that message using trusted sources on social media, exercise patience through the transition as this impacts the region. Things like the delays at the airport, people are going to need your grace. I know we've got a lot of vehicles around. We've got some areas closed that are normally open to the public around the river, and we need your patience in that.
(06:57)
Check in on your friends and neighbors, and if you're feeling anything about this event, please call the crisis hotline, talk to a medical professional, and you can use 9-8-8 on your phone. What have we got here? Is that the last one? So with that, we're going to be able to take a few questions. I'm going to start over here and we'll work our way across. 1, 2, 3. Yes, sir?
Campbell Roberts (07:26):
This is Campbell Roberts with The New York Times. Can any of you talk about the FAA's decision to restrict helicopter flights in and around National Airport?
John Donnelly (07:36):
So the question is, can anybody talk about the FAA's decision to restrict flights in and around National Airport? I don't believe we have any. So that's probably beyond the scope of this interview, you'll have the NTSB later and that's something I might ask that them. Yes, sir?
Speaker 5 (07:52):
[inaudible 00:07:52] Skyler and I'm with CBS News. Given the time that has passed, can you describe the conditions right now as it relates to the recovery process, and whether you all think that you all will be able to recover more bodies?
John Donnelly (08:05):
Okay, the question was, given the time that has passed and the conditions outside, do we believe we're going to be able to recover more bodies? And there's a lot of challenges with that. So I'm going to answer that one. I'm going to say that, yes, we expect to recover all of the bodies, that's why our teams are still working. We're going to have to work with the salvage company to do some of that work. Yes, sir.
Alex Caprariello (08:30):
If I may ask a question on behalf of the Reagan Nation Airport, this is Alex Caprariello with NewsNation. A lot of questions now circulating about the crowded airspace surrounding this airport, also reports about other close calls including 24 hours before the fatal accident. We've seen the FAA take the position of restricting the airspace, specifically route one and four for choppers in this area. What is the airport's position about potentially toning down some of the air traffic around this airport, and should this have been done sooner, specifically the restrictions on the airspace for choppers on route one and four?
John Donnelly (09:04):
Can you restate the question?
Terry Liercke (09:05):
Yeah, so the question was regarding air traffic helicopter routes up and down the Potomac. That is an FAA responsibility, the airspace is controlled by the FAA. The airport does not have any responsibility outside of the surfaces of the airport itself.
Alex Caprariello (09:23):
But most certainly this has been conversations that you've had, and when it comes to safety for the airport, for the passengers that come in and out of D.C.
Terry Liercke (09:31):
Absolutely, the FAA does regulate the airport and we follow all FAA safety regulations. Again, all I can say is the FAA is responsible for the airspace.
Alex Caprariello (09:42):
Very briefly, a question for the chief. Sir, how long do you expect it to take for the salvage to be removed from the river, to recover the bodies and do everything that's necessary to bring closure for these families?
John Donnelly (09:53):
So we're working as fast as we can. I'm not going to be able to give a timeline on that as there's a lot of unknowns, but we hope that we have more salvage equipment here tomorrow and that that operation could begin then. So next three questions. 1, 2, 3.
Perry Russom (10:13):
Chief, Perry Russom, ABC News. How is weather affecting recovery efforts, rain today, rain forecast later? What are the elements inside the river, how has all of this affected recovery?
John Donnelly (10:25):
So the question is how does the weather affect the recovery operation? In my view, it may slow it down slightly, but all of the units out here, all of the people working work year-round in all conditions. We're going to be careful, we're going to make sure we don't hurt anybody else. But the weather we've seen so far is weather we can work in. If that were to change, that would affect it, but we haven't seen that. One question at a time.
Speaker 6 (10:54):
You talked earlier about access to the site and to gain access to that area. We don't think that ice was a real problem that day, but the John Glenn has been out of service for some time. Do you have an update on when that vessel can be put back in service?
John Donnelly (11:11):
So the question is access to the site and the John Glenn, that's the fireboat for the District of Columbia. So what I referred to on access to the site is things like Gravelly Point being closed and that being lost as a local recreation area while we're working. There was some ice on the river. We made good access to the site with everybody else. The John Glenn, as has been reported, is one of the districts fireboats. It is not the primary asset for this type of operation. And so while it's in the shop, it didn't affect anything, and we hope to have it back by the summer. Yes, sir.
Grady Trimble (11:49):
Hi, Mr. Liercke. I have a follow up question about the runway closures. Grady Trimble of FOX. So you said two of three are closed because of their proximity to the crash site?
Terry Liercke (11:59):
Yeah.
Grady Trimble (11:59):
Can you explain why they remain closed?
Terry Liercke (12:02):
Sure, absolutely. So the question is why are two of the three runways here at National Airport closed? So if you're familiar with the runway configurations here, we have a main north-south runway and we have two what we call crosswind runways. The two crosswind runways, if aircraft were to take off or land over the aircraft recovery sites that is out there right now, those would be impactful to the operation. So we've elected to keep those runways closed.
Grady Trimble (12:30):
And to follow up, how long do you expect that to remain the case? And are you saying that if there are still recovery teams in the Potomac, then there's no chance that these two runways are going to open? And how does that impact [inaudible 00:12:44]?
Terry Liercke (12:43):
Yeah, sure. So the question is asking how long we anticipate those runways to be closed? That's a dynamic situation. We've worked with the FAA. I think what we've communicated is our expectation is a week, however, we'll reassess on Monday and as the recovery efforts go. It's a fluid situation, obviously.
John Donnelly (13:07):
Okay. Paul, here and there.
Paul (13:10):
Chief, talking to salvage, can you confirm that you're not going to be able to recover the remaining bodies until you're able to get the fuselage off the floor of the river and on to a barge? And then my follow up to that is, are you making an effort today to get into the helicopter and recover those two bodies?
John Donnelly (13:32):
So the question is, do we believe we have to lift the aircraft out of the water in order to finish and find the rest of the remains? And the second part of the question was, are we focused on the helicopter today? And the answer to the first question is, yes, I believe for us to recover the rest of the remains that we are going to need to get the fuselage out of the water. The second part of the question is, yes, a lot of our operations, not all of them, but a lot of our operations today are focused on the helicopter. Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 9 (14:04):
This question is for Mr. Liercke. [inaudible 00:14:09]. Can you confirm sufficient staffing moving forward in the tower [inaudible 00:14:16]?
Terry Liercke (14:15):
So the question was regarding staffing in the air traffic control tower, that's outside my scope of responsibility.
John Donnelly (14:32):
So this is an incident where even if it doesn't affect you right now, it's probably going to affect you later. It'll be something that you think about. So in emergency services across the board, we have support teams, the National Capital Region, all of the departments do, so they've been activated. The International Association of Firefighters Regional Peer Support Team has been activated to help support. And the incident management team, as they rotate responders through the scene, are making sure that there are opportunities for them to get the assistance they need. I'm going to ask the Virginia State Police to talk about the peer support he's doing a little bit.
First Sergeant Blank (15:18):
I'm First Sergeant Blank with the state police in Virginia. We are working with our partners, NWA is leading the effort for peer support but I'm here in support of that effort. And we have several regional partners that are contributing to that, including mental health professionals who are on site from INOVA and from a nonprofit in the area that are providing support. The Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program is also planning to send support, and most of the public safety agencies in the region are providing personnel to assist with that effort.
John Donnelly (15:55):
Yes, ma'am.
Mary Elkhart (15:55):
Mary Elkhart from the D.C. News Now. I know that this is an unpleasant question for you, Chief, but we've been hearing reports from people that live along the river are potentially seeing partial remains coming up on shore, that people are seeing these. Is that anything you're hearing or is that why you're keeping people away from [inaudible 00:16:13]?
John Donnelly (16:13):
So we're not keeping anybody away from the shoreline for any of those reasons. If we've closed off an area like Gravelly Point here, it's because we have emergency access vehicles coming in and out and we need the access to the river. We have received some 9-1-1 calls about either debris or remains. I don't know that we've actually found any remains. We've certainly picked up debris from those 9-1-1 calls. So we're going to do three more, and go 1, 2, and 3 in the back. Yes, sir.
Jonathan Kearsley (16:44):
Thanks, Chief. Jonathan Kearsley from Channel 9 Australia. This is a question for Terry. And Terry, as vice president and manager of this airport, what concerns have you had specifically about the congested airspace? And have you ever raised those directly with the FAA?
Terry Liercke (17:01):
So again, the United States airspace is the safest in the world. Safety is one of our top priorities and we continue to ensure that the airport is safe for operations.
Jonathan Kearsley (17:24):
To follow up on that, it wasn't safe in this instance. There have been near misses here before. You would've been made aware of those as manager of this airport. Have you raised concerns with the FAA about the congested airspace around Washington [inaudible 00:17:27]?
Terry Liercke (17:27):
Yeah, I can say again, we work with the FAA. We are regulated by the FAA. We comply with all FAA safety regulations.
Jonathan Kearsley (17:34):
That doesn't answer the question.
John Donnelly (17:37):
Yes, sir.
Dave Shepardson (17:39):
Chief, Dave Shepardson from Reuters. Can you talk about how much debris has been removed to hanger seven? And at some point, will that operation be transitioned to a private company the NTSB will hire, or will you guys actually put all the debris in the hangar?
John Donnelly (17:52):
So that's an investigation question appropriate for NTSB this afternoon.
Speaker 16 (17:57):
We'll take two more.
John Donnelly (17:58):
Yes, sir.
Tom Raza (18:00):
Tom Raza with Channel 7. I had a question for Terry as well. As far as the airport took a position against adding extra long-distance flights out of here`, and one of the concerns was there's just too much already going on. Do you maintain those concerns, because they're supposed to start in the next few months? Are you concerned about safety as those extra flights start?
Terry Liercke (18:20):
Thanks, Tom. So the question regarding the additional slots to DCA, as you know, the slots are federally controlled, federally mandated, and we have to follow federal regulations.
Tom Raza (18:33):
Are you still concerned about them? The Airport's Authority was concerned at the time.
Terry Liercke (18:38):
Yes. Again, we have to follow the federal regulations on the slot controls.
John Donnelly (18:41):
[inaudible 00:18:44].
Speaker 18 (18:45):
[inaudible 00:18:45], I have one more question for you. You're talking about the FAA, Congress, federally mandated, et cetera. Where does the buck stop with this accident and ensuring that the next flight to take off from this runway is safe?
Terry Liercke (19:00):
The question is really directed to the FAA and Congress, I believe.
John Donnelly (19:06):
Last question's right here.
Speaker 19 (19:08):
You have 41 victims recovered. Are you confident in the location of the others? Where are they, are you confident that you know where they are?
John Donnelly (19:18):
So I think we think we know where they are, we won't know until we're done. We're going to continue this search operation, but we've searched a large portion of this river and we are right there.
(19:32)
So let me restate the question, sorry. The question was, are we confident we know where the other remains are? And it couples with the question about removing the aircraft. I believe that when we remove the aircraft, that that will help us resolve this number. If it doesn't, we will continue to search.
Speaker 20 (20:00):
So that's the process. You take the fuselage out, you're going to put it on… Just reiterate that process, what that looks like, removing it, putting it on a barge. Is that right?
John Donnelly (20:09):
So some of that isn't decided yet, we'll have to see what the salvage team is doing once they get all of their equipment here. So we may have more on that tomorrow. So I don't know the exact process today.
(20:23)
So thank you all for coming today, hopefully we answered your questions. We are going to do this again tomorrow. I don't have the time yet, but we will push that out so we can provide the same type of update. Thank you.
Speaker 20 (20:34):
Thanks, Chief.