DC-area crash recovery has ties to another air tragedy

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Dignity for the deceased and caution for the wreckage.
That's what a retired Navy admiral said about the task underway in the Potomac River and how it ties to another air tragedy. On July 17, 1996, 230 people died when TWA flight 800 went down in the Atlantic Ocean, 12 minutes after takeoff from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Retired Rear Admiral Kelvin Dixon was in Washington, D.C. the day before Wednesday's American Airlines crash.
'I was in Washington yesterday for a meeting,' Dixon said. 'When I landed home in New Jersey, I found out later on about this tragic accident. It really made me look back at the recovery operations with the team with Flight 800.'
Then a lieutenant commander, Dixon was in command of New Jersey-based Shore Boat Unit 23. Before Unit 23 reached the wreckage, Dixon advised the sailors on how to mentally prepare for the mission.
'They could see bodies that are intact,' Dixon said. 'They may find bodies that are not intact. Of course, then [they may find] body parts. To retrieve those, they have special bags and special techniques that they use to make sure they don't destroy any of [the remains,].'
In the Atlantic and now on the Potomac, it's all-hands-on-deck.
'We went through it with Flight 800 by looking for and working with divers,' Dixon said. 'We worked with Navy divers and the divers out of New York City, [the] FBI and so forth. So I'm quite sure all of those folks are possibly onsite there in Washington. It's going to be a daunting task for them, especially in those waters now. At least they're in the Potomac.'
Regina Mobley: What are the factors they have to take into consideration when they have to handle those remains with dignity while preserving the aircraft?
USN Rear Admiral (ret.)Kelvin Dixon: It's pretty daunting. It's all based on what they see and how they have to go in. If they're inside the actual aircraft underwater, they will have to cut things open, pull things apart and keep the the aircraft intact as much as possible without destroying any of the evidence that could possibly help you determine what happened in this incident.
Dixon also said the Navy worked closely with the National Weather Service to determine how currents could affect the delicate recovery.
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