Plane Crash

 

Live Updates: No Survivors in Midair Collision Near Washington, Officials Confirm

A tragic midair collision occurred Wednesday night when an American Airlines jet carrying 64 people crashed into the Potomac River after colliding with a U.S. Army helicopter near Washington, D.C. Recovery teams have pulled more than two dozen bodies from the icy waters, officials reported.

Latest Developments

• No survivors: Authorities believe all 67 people aboard both aircraft perished in the crash.
• Wreckage recovery: Crews have retrieved 27 bodies from the plane and one from the helicopter.
• Transition to recovery: Emergency responders have shifted from a rescue mission to a recovery effort, according to Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly.
• National mourning: Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed shared grief over the disaster.

Details of the Crash

The collision involved:

• American Airlines Flight 5342: A Bombardier CRJ700, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, had departed from Wichita, Kan., at 6:20 p.m. Eastern and was approaching Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport when the crash occurred around 9 p.m.
• U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk: The military helicopter, carrying three service members, was on a training flight from Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir, Va.

Federal investigators reported that weather conditions were clear, and both aircraft were following standard flight paths. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted that there were no apparent communication failures between the aircraft and air traffic control.

The wreckage was found scattered across less than a mile, with the plane’s fuselage broken into three sections in shallow water.

Passengers and Response

• Some passengers on the flight included figure skaters traveling to the national championships. Russian figure skaters were also among those aboard, according to the Kremlin.
• American Airlines CEO Robert Isom confirmed that the jet’s pilot was experienced.
• Army officials have not yet clarified whether the Black Hawk was departing or returning to Fort Belvoir at the time of impact.

Political and Federal Reaction

The disaster presents an early test for the new Trump administration:

• The crash occurred just one day after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was sworn in and during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s first week in office.
• President Trump responded on social media, stating that the collision was “a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.” He added that he had been “fully briefed” on the tragedy.

Investigators continue to examine the cause of the crash as recovery operations proceed.