Maryland first responders honored for their help after DC midair collision: ‘Closure for the families’
Darreonna Davis
The Baltimore Banner
March 15, 2025
Carl D. Knight III, a deputy chief with the Baltimore City Fire Department, will never forget the night of Jan. 29, 2025.
Knight, who has been with the fire department for 30 years and the dive team for 20 years, said six divers were dispatched to Washington, D.C., that night after a deadly midair collision between an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter.
Others came to relieve them by the morning.
The Baltimore City Fire Department supported recovery efforts over a 24-hour period, he said.
Knight was one of many first responders honored earlier this week for their contributions to the recovery efforts following the fatal midair collision in January near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government (COG), a regional partnership organization, recognized over 130 first responders from more than 90 agencies for their “heroic efforts” following the crash, a spokesman said.
“I didn’t realize … the magnitude of agencies that assisted with that,” Knight said. “The recognition from several of the council members … and others, it just was an awesome experience.”
On Jan. 29, an army helicopter with three people aboard crashed into an American Airlines flight carrying 64 people near Reagan National Airport. All 67 people involved died, some of whom were Marylanders. Agencies from the region were tasked with recovering their bodies from the Potomac River, where both aircraft fell following the midair crash.
Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City fire and police departments, Baltimore County Police and Howard County firefighters were among the dozens of agencies highlighted for their recovery efforts following the fatal crash. Though the recognition is welcomed, it isn’t their mission, Knight said — closure for families is.
At Wednesday’s meeting, a few agency leaders, including District of Columbia Fire and EMS chief John A. Donnelly Sr., spoke on behalf of their departments. In his remarks, Donnelly acknowledged the Baltimore City Fire Department’s work.
“Some of the things we did worked outside of the mutual aid agreement, and that’s really important. You’ll see Baltimore City Fire here plus other people outside of our mutual aid agreement that came to help without slowing down, without waiting to figure out if it was legal or not,” Donnelly said. “This is important because we needed all the help we could get.”
Divers from the Baltimore Police Department stayed for a day, left, returned over the weekend and stayed for about three days to help with recovery, said Justin Oliva, a five-year officer and one-year diver.
“We stayed down there for three days straight. The agency had no problem getting us the supplies we needed, the command trucks so we could have a spot to stay warm, hotels,” said Oliva, who was unable to attend Wednesday’s event. “Just the level of readiness of the department to go and help another agency that needed help really shined through.”
Detective William Healey, who has worked with the BPD for 10 years and the dive team for four, said what really mattered was helping another regional agency in need.
“It feels good to be recognized, but the major thing was it just felt good that we were able to help out so much — especially in something not in our area,” Healey said. “Being able to go down and help out somebody else just made us feel really good, and the recognition was just second to that.”
Regionalism and how various agencies worked together to recover those lost in the tragedy was the theme of Wednesday’s recognition for the first responders.
“I’m so proud, as I look around the room, to see all the different agencies and departments and seeing all the different individuals that are here and acknowledging that all the work that COG does makes a difference in this region,” Rodney Lusk, COG’s board chair, said at the meeting. “Yes, this is a tragedy, and we don’t want to celebrate that. What we want to celebrate is that we are bound together as one.”
