A “highly complex” search and rescue operation has found no survivors after a passenger plane collided with a military helicopter in Washington DC.
The American Airlines flight was preparing to land at the Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided mid-air with the military aircraft and split into three pieces.
Washington plane crash latest: Follow updates as recovery op continues
Both aircraft then crashed into the Potomac River and responders are currently working on the scene in “extremely tough” conditions, officials have said.
This is what we know so far.
What aircraft were involved?
The crash involved a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ701 twin-engine jet regional jet and a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed.
The jet was American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, and was travelling from Wichita in Kansas to Reagan Washington National Airport. American Eagle is a regional brand for American Airlines.
The other aircraft was a US Army helicopter – a UH-60 Black Hawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia – which was on a training flight.
What we know about the crash itself
A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the American Airlines flight if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the pilots said they were able.
Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33.
Seconds later, the airliner was on approach to the runway when the collision with the helicopter happened.
CCTV footage shows a flash of light in the sky at 8.47pm local time (1.47am UK time) of what appears to be the moment the aircraft collided and burst into flames.
Flight tracking information, based on data transmitted by the Bombardier plane’s radio transponder, reveals it was at an altitude of about 400ft and a speed of about 140mph when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River.
The plane broke into three pieces and fell into the river alongside the helicopter.
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‘I need you to land’ – audio from crash
Air traffic audio recorded in the immediate aftermath of the crash has been released. A controller says: “Um, I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ (the type of plane that crashed) and a helicopter that hit, I would say a half-mile off the approach.”
Within minutes, the controllers began redirecting other planes in the region.
Timeline shows how the crash response unfolded
Who was on board the plane and helicopter?
There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the plane, and three soldiers on the military aircraft.
US Figure Skating, the national governing body for the sport in the US, said in a statement that several members of its skating community were on the passenger plane.
It said the athletes and coaches were returning home from the national development camp in Kansas.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the statement said.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
Doug Zeghibe, chief executive of The Skating Club of Boston, has since revealed 14 skaters returning home from the camp were on board.
“Of those 14 skaters, six were from The Skating Club of Boston,” he said. “Two coaches, two teenage athletes, and two of the athletes’ mums.”
He confirmed the two coaches were Russian championship figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were earlier named by the Kremlin, as two people who were on the plane.
Russia’s Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova competing in 1995. Pic: Reuters
The married couple won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994.
A man who said his daughter’s best friend and her mother were on the jet when it crashed told Sky News they had been at an “athletic trip” in Kansas.
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‘My daughter’s friend was on this flight’
A number of skaters have declared themselves safe amid speculation they were also on board the plane.
You can read more about the passengers and the skaters who have commented here.
How many bodies have been found?
Officials have said 27 people from the plane have been recovered from the water, and one from the helicopter.
Washington DC’s fire and emergency medical services chief John Donnelly said: “The district office of the medical examiner has led on reuniting these bodies and these people, with their loved ones.
“And we will continue to work to find all the bodies and collect them, and reunite them with their loved ones. We should also acknowledge that the Virginia medical examiner and the army medical examiner are involved in this operation, and are a very important part of getting people identified.”
What has Donald Trump said?
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Trump blames diversity hiring for crash
Speaking at a White House news conference on Thursday afternoon, the US president criticised the FAA’s diversity hiring policies from before he came into office for his second term, suggesting it may have played a part in the crash.
He claimed the aviation authority was “actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions” through the former government’s policies.
“We have to have our smartest people,” he said. “They have to be naturally talented geniuses.”
He added: “My administration will set the highest possible bar for aviation safety.”
Asked later whether he was suggesting the crash was caused by diversity hiring at the FAA, he said America had to have a “high standard”.
“You have to go by brain power, you have to go by psychological quality,” he said.
He added we “don’t know” yet what happened, but continually questioned why the helicopter was at the same altitude as the plane.
The comments came after he confirmed that “sadly, there are no survivors” after what he called a “real tragedy”.
“This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history, and a tragedy of terrible proportions,” he said.
“As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly.”
Earlier in the day, Mr Trump made a statement on his social media platform Truth Social, where he wrote the plane was on a “perfect and routine line of approach to the airport”, while the helicopter was going “straight at the airplane for an extended period of time”.
“It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn,” he added.
“Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane?”
He appeared to be referencing reports that said less than 30 seconds before the collision, air traffic controllers asked the helicopter operators if they could see the plane.
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented,” Mr Trump concluded.
What have other officials said?
Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, where the plane’s journey originated, told a news conference this morning: “It’s really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously.
“When one person dies, it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it’s an unbearable sorrow.
“It’s a heartbreak beyond measure.”
Pete Hegseth, who was sworn in as defence secretary only days ago, said the US army and the defence department had begun an investigation into the crash “immediately”.
“Absolutely tragic. Search and rescue efforts still ongoing. Prayers for all impacted souls and their families,” he posted on X.
In a news conference early Thursday morning, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said: “Certainly I speak for the people of Washington, 700,000 of us, who are extremely sorry for the families who are experiencing loss tonight.”
In a later tweet on X, she said she was sending “love and prayers” to people connected to those on board.
UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement on X: “I am deeply shocked by the tragic scenes coming out of Washington DC.
“My thoughts are with all those on board and their families desperately waiting for news.
“I pay tribute to the emergency services for their dedicated work in such challenging conditions and I send the UK’s condolences to the United States at this time.”
‘Highly complex’ rescue efforts become recovery operation
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Fire chief: ‘River is a black spot’
About 300 responders, inflatable boats and multiple helicopters were being used as part of the search operation which began about 10 minutes after the collision.
In a news conference on Thursday morning, Mr Donnelly said it was a rescue operation that was “highly complex” due to “extremely rough conditions”.
In an update at 12.30pm UK time, Mr Donnelly said: “Despite all these efforts, we are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.
“At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident. And we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter.”
He had said in an earlier news conference that hypothermia was a concern for any possible survivors and first responders as it was cold and windy.
He added: “There is wind. There are pieces of ice in the water. And because there is not a lot of light, you are out there searching every square inch of space.
“These are very tough conditions to dive in.”
As recovery efforts continue, a “recovery centre” has been set up at the DC Fire helipad to receive remains from the crash, NBC Washington has reported.
Crash was ‘absolutely preventable’
US transport secretary Sean Duffy said during a press conference that the wreckage of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water along with the helicopter.
He also said he believed the crash was “absolutely preventable” and both aircraft were on “standard flight patterns” at the time.
He said the helicopter was on a training mission at the time, but that it didn’t mean the pilot was inexperienced.
“I don’t have information in regard to the experience of military pilots,” he says.
“These missions… are flown in the DC area as our pilots are getting hours and experience in training missions. So don’t read into that,” he said.
He also said there was “standard communication” between the plane and the military helicopter before the crash.
Asked if the plane was aware there was a helicopter in the area, Mr Duffy said: “I would say the helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area.”
Former helicopter pilot Paul Beaver told Sky News’ chief presenter Kay Burley it was difficult to say if the collision could have been avoided, but it was clear it was a “terrible accident”.
“This is one of the things to me that looks like human error,” he told her on Sky News Breakfast this morning.
“Air traffic control can only advise, and it is the pilot of the aircraft who takes personal responsibility,” he added.
He explained that the plane was on its final approach to a runway, so it was committed to the route.
It had right of way under the rules of the air, he explained, adding the helicopter should have taken “avoiding action”.
Mr Beaver, who has previously flown over the Potomac River, said it is a “difficult airspace”.
“This is very, very busy and occasionally, sadly, there are mid-air collisions,” he added.
Because of the short length of runways at Reagan National, more than 90% of flights use its main runway, making it the busiest in the US, with over 800 daily takeoffs and landings.
There have been several near-miss incidents at the airport in the past, including two last year.
There was a close call in April between a Southwest and JetBlue aircraft, then the following month between an American Airlines jet and a small plane.
