Firefighter Guarded Soldier's Body For Hours After DC Plane Crash: Report

ARLINGTON, VA — A rookie D.C. firefighter who responded when American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in midair at Ronald Reagan National Airport last week stood guard over one of the victim's bodies for hours after he realized the man was a soldier, according to a report.

Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara of Georgia was among three crew members killed on Jan. 29 when the helicopter they were in collided with a plane carrying 60 passengers and four American Airlines crew members. The plane was about to land at nearby Reagan National Airport when the crash occurred, killing everyone on board both aircraft.

According to an NBC Washington report, O'Hara was one of the first victims to be recovered from the Potomac River and brought ashore to waiting firefighters.

During the recovery effort, probationary firefighter and former Marine Sean Wathen saw O’Hara’s flight suit and stayed by O'Hara's side for four hours until a member of the military received his body, multiple sources familiar with the transfer told NBC Washington.

A U.S. Army memorial service was planned at Fort Belvoir on Wednesday for O'Hara and the other two crew members killed in the crash.

The remains of all 67 victims were recovered Tuesday, authorities said. All but one has been identified.

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According to the National Transportation Safety Board, data showed the helicopter could have been traveling above its 200-foot flight ceiling when the crash occurred. The airport's air traffic control screen — relying on radar sensors and other data — had it at 300 feet, the agency said; however, that figure would have been rounded to the nearest 100 feet, according to authorities.

Investigators said they need to get more information from the still-submerged Black Hawk to verify the data.

Full NTSB investigations typically take a year or more. Investigators hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days.

Earlier Tuesday, crews worked in choppy conditions to raise several large pieces of the jetliner from the Potomac River, including the right wing, the center fuselage and parts of the forward cabin, cockpit, tail cone and rudder.

“Our hearts are with the victims’ families as they navigate this tragic loss,” officials said in a joint statement from the city and federal agencies involved in the search and recovery, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Navy dive teams and Washington police and fire crews.

The chief medical examiner will be working to positively identify the final set of remains, officials said.

More on the crash can be found here.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.