Federal and local officials in Washington, D.C. said Thursday there were no survivors following the midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. military helicopter near Washington late Wednesday, and recovery operations are continuing. The American Airlines flight, operated by affiliate PSA Airlines, carried 64 passengers and crew, and the helicopter had a crew of three on what was classified as a training flight. The two aircraft collided as the passenger jet was on its final approach to Reagan National Airport, just outside Washington in Arlington, Virgina, and crashed into the Potomac River adjacent to the airport. At a news conference at the airport Thursday, Washington, D.C. Fire and Emergency Services Chief John Donnelly said emergency crews responded to an alert from the airport at 8:48 p.m. local time indicating there had been an air crash on or near the airport. Donnelly said in all, about 300 first responders from local, state and federal agencies were at the scene on the water in what he said were extremely frigid conditions with heavy wind and ice on the water. The chief said they worked through the night, and as of early Thursday, they had recovered 27 bodies from the passenger jet and one crew member from the helicopter. Donnelly said his agency reports only the number of bodies that have been turned over to the medical examiner and those numbers may differ from other reports…Read more