WASHINGTON (ABC7 News) — An American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided over Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night in the nation’s first major commercial airline crash since 2009.
No survivors are expected from the plane crash, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said in a Thursday morning news conference.
Crews are switching to a recovery operation.
Twenty-eight bodies have been recovered, including 27 from the plane and one from the Black Hawk helicopter, Donnelly said.
A source emphasized to ABC News that there has been a desperate attempt to find victims alive.
There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the American Airlines flight 5342, which can hold up to 70 passengers. It departed from Wichita, Kansas, according to the FAA.
Three Army soldiers were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter at the time of the crash. Army officials confirmed that no senior military leaders were onboard.
The Black Hawk helicopter was on a training flight at the time, according to Heather Chairez, spokesperson for Joint Task Force-National Capital Region.
It was based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, according to an Army official. “We are working with local officials and will provide additional information once it becomes available,” the official said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said preliminary information indicates that a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to the airport.
Officials said the American Airlines aircraft’s fuselage has been located in three different sections of the river in waist-deep water. It was “inverted.”
The water temperature in the Potomac River is approximately 36 degrees, and the air temperature at the time of the crash was 50 degrees with winds gusting 25 to 30 mph.
The FAA and NTSB will investigate the crash, the FAA said, with the NTSB leading the investigation.
Figure skaters, coaches among passengers aboard jet that collided with helicopter over DC
Figure skaters and coaches returning from the national championships were aboard the American Airlines flight that collided with a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, the U.S. Figure Skating organization confirmed.
“U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.” the organization said in a statement. “These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.”
The statement went on to say: “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
Russian Media is also reporting that two Russian figure skaters were on board the plane.
Moscow expressed condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the plane crash, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“Unfortunately, we see that these sad information is being confirmed,” Peskov said, commenting on reports that former Russian figure skaters were on the plane. “There were other of our fellow citizens there. Bad news from Washington today.”
Earlier several Russian state media reported quoting sources that on board the plane that crashed near Washington, there were Russian world figure skating champions in pairs (1994) Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. NTSB leading investigation of mid-air collision: Official
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation of the deadly mid-air collision of American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Blackhawk helicopter, according to a statement from Joint Task Force-National Capital Region.
Ron McLendon II, a spokesperson for the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, said the U.S. Army and the Federal Aviation Administration will assist with the investigation.
“The NTSB will lead the investigation. We are working with local officials and will provide any additional information once it becomes available,” McLendon said.
19 aircraft diverted from Reagan National Airport after crash
Some 19 aircraft that were in the air and due to land at Reagan National Airport had to be diverted after the mid-air collision of a regional American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, according to an airports official
The diverted flights landed at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, said Jack Potter, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, who spoke at an early Thursday morning press briefing.
Reagan National will be closed until at least 11 a.m. Thursday, but the situation is fluid, Potter said
Trump weighs in on crash
President Donald Trump released a statement on social media about the jet-helicopter crash over the Potomac River seeming to question the actions of the helicopter pilots and Air Traffic Control.
“It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn,” Trump posted on his platform Truth Social. “Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
According to radio traffic, Air Traffic Control at the airport advised the helicopter of the plane’s approach and asked the helicopter pilots to confirm they had the plane in sight, which is standard procedure.
Investigators will work to understand what went wrong.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said an immediate investigation has been launched, calling the incident “Absolutely tragic.”
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy posted on X that he is at FAA headquarters and “closely monitoring the situation.” The Department of Homeland Security said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has also been briefed on the crash and is monitoring the situation.
Vice President JD Vance posted on X, “Please say a prayer for everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport this evening. We’re monitoring the situation, but for now let’s hope for the best.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson posted to X saying, “I’m deeply saddened to learn about the horrific tragedy at Reagan National Airport. Please join me in praying for everyone involved as well as our first responders.”
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on X that “extensive resources are fully supporting the search and rescue efforts” following the crash.
“First responders from across Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland mobilized quickly,” he said. “I ask everyone to pray for the passengers, crews, their families, and brave first responders.
In somber remarks at a news conference early Thursday morning, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall suggested he feared the passengers and crew aboard a regional American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter that collided were lost.
“When one person dies, it’s a tragedy,” Marshall said. “But when many, many, many people die, it’s an unbearable sorrow … It’s really hard when you lose, you know, probably over 60 Kansans, simultaneously.”
Speaking of the pilots, flight attendants and military personnel, Marshall added, “All those lives are so valuable, and it is such a tragedy that we lost them.”
Fellow Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran said he knows the flight pattern of Flight 5342 well.
“I’ve flown it many times myself,” Moran said, adding that he lobbied American Airlines to add direct, nonstop flight service from Wichita to Reagan National.
Direct flights from Wichita National Airport to DCA launched a year ago, said Jesse Romo, Wichita’s director of airports.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom released a video statement about the crash of Flight 5342 over the Potomac River on Wednesday night as it approached Reagan National Airport.
“First and most importantly I’d like to express our deep sorrow about these events,” Isom said.
He said the airline is fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board and working with federal, state and local authorities on the response to the crash. The airline is sending a “go team” to D.C. and Isom said he will join them shortly and that the
“We want to learn everything we can about today’s events,” Isom said. “That work will take time.”
The Wichita National Airport has activated an incident and support team to help within the terminal to provide families with information, according to Romo.
Romo called the crash “devastating” during a press briefing tonight and said he believes there are family members of those aboard the American Airlines flight already at the airport seeking any updates.
If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215. Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can call 800-679-8215 directly.
DC plane crash marks first major commercial crash in US since 2009
The crash involving a regional aircraft and a Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday marks the first major commercial crash in the United States since 2009.
The last crash took place on Feb. 12, 2009, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed during landing near Buffalo Niagara International Airport, killing all 49 people onboard.
There have been other deadly incidents in the U.S., such as the Asiana runway crash at San Francisco International Airport in 2013. Three people died when Flight 214 came in to the airport too low and too slow, hit a seawall and sheared the tail section and left engine off the plane as it spun down the runway.
One of the three who was killed was run over by an emergency vehicle responding to the crash.
Nearly 200 people were also injured in that crash, which was blamed on the Asiana Airlines pilots mismanaging the autopilot system, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The last fatality on a plane in the U.S. came in 2018 when a woman was partially sucked out of a Southwest Airlines window.
Passenger Jennifer Riordan died in that incident, when Flight 1380 suffered engine failure and had to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia.
