KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Twenty-four hours later, recovery efforts continue to locate remaining victims involved in the deadly commercial airline crash at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.
KSHB 41's Ryan Gamboa looked locally to find answers on obstacles facing first responders in the Potomac River.
"They were wore out two hours into the deal," said Cody Gabriel, president of Lee's Summit Underwater Rescue and Recovery. "I give those guys props right now because they are giving every ounce they have."
Founded in 1966, Lee's Summit Underwater Rescue and Recovery is a nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement agencies in the recovery of drowning victims in rivers and lakes.
Gabriel and a few of his volunteers offered KSHB 41 a tour of it's headquarters near Lake Jacomo.
"You have to have your wits about you, and you have to understand why you’re there," Gabriel said. "That’s the reason I do this — to give back to our community.”
According to Gabriel, his team's divers utilize comparable gear to crews navigating the plane crash site in the Potomac River.
He says the crews' biggest challenge out east is the rivers water temperature, debris and visibility.
"You’re bound to run into something — the question is what and how hard and where?" he said. "They're dealing with black water, which means you cant see six inches in front of your face in this water. You cant even read your wrist watch if the lights on."
Black water is a mixture of river sediment, fuel components and debris.
Recovery divers utilize touch to conduct operations and oftentimes close their eyes to avoid sustaining a headache from their eyes adjusting.
"It seems like you’re in a bad dream at times because the lights go out," he said.
Another added challenge is an additional 80 pounds of gear on a diver's back.
Gabriel says in public safety diving, the objective is to be glued to the bottom, unlike scuba diving, sifting through mud and debris in search of their target.
A diver's tank can provide approximately an hour of air, but 40 degree water temperatures reported in the Potomac limit divers to 25 minute trips.
"Our suits don't actually keep us warm; we have to layer up underneath the suit with thermals," Gabriel said. "The next challenge is staying dry when we get in the water."
KSHB 41 asked Gabriel to review videos of the scene circulated throughout the media.
He pointed out what appeared to be supply boats docked to the wreckage. Behind working crews were roving boats he says act as a barrier of patrol for underwater recovery crews.
"A lot of times people approach us too close on lakes. When we have divers in the water, it creates a hazard for our team," Gabriel said. "That's a really important job. It acts as police tape so to speak."
The biggest obstacle for recovery crews comes in the coming hours and days, navigating the remaining victims involved in the crash.
Gabriel says before the debris can be fully removed from the river, the entire area must be cleared. With dive teams navigating black water, he says it's unclear if victims may have dislodged from the aircraft.
"If those victims may have come out, they may be somewhere in the Potomac," he said. "It could be a while until some of them show up, if they can't find them."
On Thursday night, authorities reported the aircraft's black boxes were recovered.
Gabriel suspects the Federal Aviation Administration would want to recover both aircraft in its entirety. It could take days or weeks to secure all the pieces.
"They’re going to want to see all of it and how it went back together to find why it went wrong," Gabriel said.
It will take time to reveal what information is found the aircraft's black boxes. Gabriel assures victim's families, a public safety diver's pledge, is bringing their loved one's home.
"You don’t stop until the job is done," he said. "Rhere is someone out there waiting for that book to close — I want to finish that chapter, so they can move on with their life."
For more information on Lee's Summit Underwater Rescue and Recovery, click here.
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