The pieces of wreckage recovered Tuesday were lifted by a crane and placed onto a barge with other parts recovered from the flight that took off from Wichita, Kansas, for Washington's Reagan National Airport with 60 passengers and four crew members on board. One of the pieces recovered earlier in the day showed a portion of the American Eagle logo.

Officials said the bodies of several victims remain in the plane's fuselage and their "dignified" removal is a main priority.

After an Army helicopter and American Airlines plane crashed into the Potomac River around Washington, D.C., a Virginia diver shared challenges of such a recovery effort.