ARLINGTON, Va. – A midair collision between an Army helicopter and a passenger jet killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft, officials said, as they search for answers in the nation’s deadliest aviation disaster in nearly 25 years.
At least 41 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter reportedly crossed into the path of an American Airlines jet late Wednesday. The incident occurred as the jet was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport, located just outside Washington, D.C.
Federal investigators have cautioned that determining the cause of the crash could take months, and they refrained from speculating during a press briefing.
Here is what we know about the collision:
5:40pm:
A joint investigation by the Department of Defense and the National Transportation Safety Board is ongoing following the crash of a CRJ700 regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.
During a Friday night press conference, officials said that over 100 family members are being briefed by NTSB, fire chiefs, and a family assistance unit from PSA Airlines. The Navy supervisor of salvage will bring in barges from Virginia Beach to begin significant lifting on Saturday.
Two distinct debris fields have been identified, with large chunks that should aid the investigation. NTSB investigators are conducting debris mapping and focusing on human factors.
Witnesses, including air traffic controllers, are fully cooperating.
The NTSB has secured two separate flight recorders from the CRJ, and while data is being processed, the release of victim names will not occur. A Black Hawk black box is also being analyzed for flight data.
2:30pm:
FULL Presser: DC officials provide updates on DCA plane crash
Fire Chief John Donnelly and VP of Reagan National Airport Terry Liercke give an update on the DCA plane crash.
D.C. Fire and EMS alongside the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority provided an update on the recovery efforts and progress two days after the deadly plane crash.
Officials reported “41 sets of remains have been recovered, and 28 victims have been positively identified.”
The recovery process continues.
Officials mentioned the removal of the aircraft assisting in the recovery process and investigation.
12pm:
Not the first deadly crash
Wednesday’s crash was similar to a deadly collision in 1949, when D.C.’s airspace was less crowded.
A passenger plane on final approach to then Washington National Airport collided with a military plane, plunging both aircraft into the Potomac River, killing 55 people.
At the time, it was the deadliest air crash in the U.S.
11:30am:
Experts have long worried about catastrophe
Aviation experts have long worried that the airspace surrounding Washington, D.C. could lead to catastrophe.
“This was a disaster waiting to happen,” said Ross Aimer, a retired United Airlines captain and chief executive officer of Aero Consulting Experts told the Associated Press. “Those of us who have been around a long time have been yelling into a vacuum that something like this would happen because our systems are stretched to extremes.”
Officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas.
A Federal Aviation Administration report obtained by The Associated Press described staffing levels as “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”
11:15am:
Second-generation pilot Sam Lilley killed in crash
Timothy Lilley, a former military helicopter pilot, confirmed that his 28-year-old son, Sam Lilley, was one of the two pilots aboard the American Airlines flight. “This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” Timothy told FOX 5 Atlanta from Washington, D.C.
Timothy, who was in New York for work, initially couldn’t believe it was his son’s flight. “Last night when I saw on Fox News there was a crash in DC, I really didn’t think there was any way that was my son,” he said. However, after failing to hear from Sam, who always checked in, his worst fears were confirmed.
The father and son shared a passion for flying, with Sam having started his flight training in 2019 and working with PSA Airlines, part of the American Airlines group, for two years. Sam was also engaged to be married.
11:15am:
Recovery crews work in rain to recover remains
Police boats were in the Potomac River on Friday as part of the recovery and investigation after a deadly midair collision killed 67 people Wednesday night.
More than 40 bodies have been pulled from the river as the massive recovery effort continues.
Crews worked in the rain Friday morning with wet conditions expected throughout the day.
Planes continued to take off and land at Ronald Reagan National Airport next, with operations at the airfield gradually returning to normal after canceled and delayed flights following the crash.
FAA to place restrictions on helicopter flights near DCA
According to Reuters the FAA is restricting helicopter flights near DCA imposing significant limitations on Route 1 and Route 4 around the airport.
11am:
FAA restricts helicopter flights near Ronald Reagan National Airport
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has restricted helicopter flights near Ronald Reagan National Airport indefinitely, according to the Associated Press.
The news organization says the FAA is prohibiting most helicopters from portions of two helicopter routes near the airport.
The report says only police and medical helicopters in the section between the airport and nearby bridges will be allowed at this time.
DC plane crash LIVE updates: Recovery crews work in rain to recover remains
9:20am:
More than 40 bodies have been pulled from water after midair collision
Officials say more than 40 bodies have been pulled from the water surrounding Ronald Reagan National Airport after a deadly midair collision between an Army helicopter and a jetliner killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft.
Recovery operations resumed on Friday morning amid rainy conditions. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew members, and three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.
Air crash investigations can take months, and federal investigators told reporters Thursday they would not speculate on the cause.
8:15am:
Trump says Black Hawk helicopter “was flying too high, by a lot.”
President Donald Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Friday to post that the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with the American Airlines passenger jet near Ronald Reagan National Airport resulting in the deaths of everyone onboard “was flying too high, by a lot.”
“It was far above the 200-foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???” Trump’s post continued.
According to FOX Business, NTSB member Todd Inman, when asked by the news organization about whether the helicopter’s altitude played a role in the crash, said “Right now, we’ve not ruled anything in or out.”
“But I would be very careful to anyone who’s listening to this to rely upon off the shelf software, speculation they’re seeing online. Our job is to get the absolute facts as we get these [black] boxes in and get them analyzed and we look at more granular data, will be able to give a much better picture on that,” he said.
READ MORE: Staffing ‘not normal’ in air traffic control tower during DC plane crash: reports
8am:
DCA inbound flight delays Friday
Inbound flights are experiencing delays at Ronald Reagan National Airport on Friday morning.
FlightAware.com posted the following message online:
Reagan National (KDCA) is currently experiencing all inbound flights being held at their origin until Friday at 08:45AM EST.
READ MORE: Two planes aborted landings at DCA due to helicopters in flight path in week before crash: report
6am:
Cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder recovered
A collision involving a regional jet from Wichita, Kansas, and a military helicopter on a training exercise killed all aboard both aircraft, officials said. The skies were clear at the time.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that moments before American Airlines Flight 5342 was to land, air traffic controllers requested the jet to land on a shorter runway, to which the pilots agreed. Flight tracking sites indicated the plane adjusted its approach accordingly.
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had visual contact with the jet, and the military pilot confirmed. A subsequent radio call from the controller directed the helicopter to “pass behind the CRJ,” apparently advising it to wait for the Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet to pass. The helicopter did not respond, and the aircraft collided seconds later.
READ MORE: DC plane crash: How to donate to verified fundraisers for victims’ families
NTSB investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder
National Transportation Safety Board investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the plane. Federal investigators will now try to piece together the moments before the collision.
The plane’s radio transponder ceased transmitting approximately 2,400 feet short of the runway, near the middle of the Potomac River. Officials stated that the plane’s body was discovered upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water. The helicopter’s wreckage was also located in the river.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the plane, said agency spokesperson Peter Knudson.
5:30am:
The victims
Among the passengers were members of the Skating Club of Boston, returning from a development camp that followed the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. Club CEO Doug Zeghibe confirmed that 14 people from the skating community were on the plane, including teenage figure skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, their mothers, and two Russian-born coaches, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won a world championship in pairs skating in 1994.
The victims also included an Ohio college student returning from her grandfather’s funeral and a group of hunters coming back from a guided trip in Kansas. Three students from Fairfax County, Virginia, and six parents from the district were also on board, according to Superintendent Michelle Reid.
Remembering the victims killed in DC plane crash
It was the deadliest U.S. air crash since 2001. At least 28 bodies have been pulled from the icy waters, including those of the three soldiers who were on the helicopter.
READ MORE: NTSB recovers flight recorders from deadly DC midair collision
Additionally, four steamfitters, all members of a United Association union local in suburban Maryland, were on the plane, according to union leaders. The Chinese Embassy in Washington reported that two Chinese nationals were among the victims.
Jonathan Campos, 34, was identified as the captain of the airplane, multiple media outlets reported. Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation, described the helicopter crew as “very experienced” and familiar with the congested flying conditions around Washington. While their identities have not been officially released, the wife of one of the helicopter pilots, Andrew Eaves of Noxubee County, Mississippi, announced on Facebook that her husband was among those killed.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Associated Press and FOX 5 reports
