“No Survivors” in deadly DCA crash
Wichita officials during a press conference on Thursday say there are likely no survivors in deadly DCA crash.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hundreds of responders have removed at least 28 bodies from the icy waters of the Potomac River after a deadly plane crash, according to officials as of Thursday morning.
Michael Waltz, President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, said on Fox News Channel, that at “about 4 a.m., we transitioned from response to recovery.”
It is being reported that an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington D.C.
MORE: LIVE DC plane crash updates: 28 bodies recovered; no survivors expected
When did the plane crash happen?
Timeline:
January 29, 2025, 5:18 p.m.: AA Flight 5342 departs Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ITC) for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) at 5:18 p.m. CST, or 6:18 p.m. EST, according to air traffic control records from FlightRadar24.
January 29, 2025, 8:39 p.m.: An Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter departs Fort Belvoir as part of a training exercise. An senior Army official told Fox News the soldiers were part of a “fairly experienced” Black Hawk crew, and they had night vision goggles aboard the helicopter.
January 29, 2025, 8:40 p.m.: Flight 5342 began to descend into DCA from the south.
January 29, 2025, 8:46 p.m.: Air traffic controllers ask Flight 5342 to land on Runway 33, and pilots acknowledge the order.
Raw: ATC audio from moments after DC plane crash
Air traffic control audio, courtesy of liveATC.net, sheds light on the moments following a collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter on Jan. 29, 2025.
January 29, 2025, 8:48 p.m.: An air traffic control official asks the Black Hawk (PAT-25) pilot whether he can see the commercial aircraft.
“Do you have the CRJ in sight?” the controller asks, and the helicopter pilot confirms he sees the passenger plane and requests “visual separation,” meaning he is trying to get out of the flight’s path, according to FlightRadar24 audio.
“PAT-25, do you have the CRJ in sight?” the controller can be heard saying to the helicopter pilot 30 seconds before the crash.
The controller makes another radio call to PAT-25 moments later: “PAT-25, pass behind the CRJ.”
January 29, 2025, 8:48 p.m.: Army UH-60 and Flight 5342 then collide over the Potomac River, causing an explosion midair at an altitude of about 300 feet that was caught on camera.
Air traffic controllers can be heard reacting, and asking, “Did you see that?”
The jet, a Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine aircraft, was at an altitude of approximately 400 feet and traveling at about 140 miles per hour when it suddenly lost altitude over the Potomac River. American Airlines confirmed that 60 passengers and four crew members were on the aircraft, while three soldiers were on the helicopter – which was on a training mission.
January 29, 2025, 9 p.m.: DCA closes due to an “aircraft emergency.”
The DC Fire and EMS Department posts an update on X stating, “Confirmed small aircraft down in Potomac River vicinity Reagan National Airport. Fireboats on scene.”
January 29, 2025, 10:19 p.m.: Emergency responders, including DC Fire and EMS, the Metropolitan Police Department, and multiple federal agencies, began coordinating recovery efforts in the Potomac River.
Audio of air traffic control in DC plane crash
What we know:
10: 27 p.m.: Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.”
Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
“Yep, we saw it. Everybody just hold your positions please on the field right now,” an air traffic controller can be heard saying after the collision.
The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river.
Video from the observation camera EarthCam at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.
Reagan International remains closed after crash
Reagan international is expected to reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday following a midair collision involving an American Airlines jet and an Army Blackhawk helicopter.
Where did the crash happen?
Big picture view:
According to the Associated Press, the crash occurred in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over three miles (4.8 kilometers) south of the White House and the Capitol.
The Blackhawk helicopter involved in the crash was reportedly based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, according to a defense official speaking on condition of anonymity.
FAA officials noted that air traffic controllers had asked flight 5342’s pilots if they could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport, and the crew confirmed they could. Tracking data showed the jet adjusting its approach before impact.
Following the crash, the FAA extended the closure of Washington Reagan National Airport until 11 a.m. Thursday.
Official statements on the plane crash
What they’re saying:
10: 57 p.m.: President Trump thanked first responders for their “incredible work,” in a statement, shortly after being briefed on the plane crash.
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls,” Trump said in a statement. “Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
The president also took to Truth Social to speculate on the cause of the crash: “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. 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? 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!!!”
Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas called the incident “nothing short of a nightmare.” In a statement, he urged the public to pray for those affected.
“There are no words that can make telling this story any easier,” Marshall said. “I ask the world to join me in praying for Kansas this evening, the first responders, rescue crews, and all those involved in this horrific accident.”
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran shared an update via X, stating: “Learning that a plane inbound from Kansas was involved in a crash at DCA. I am in contact with authorities. Please join me in praying for all involved.”
“We are going to recover our fellow citizens,” District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a somber news conference at the airport. She declined to say how many bodies had been recovered.
How many people were on the plane when it crashed?
By the numbers:
11:07 p.m.: According to American Airlines, 60 passengers and four crew members were on the aircraft, while three soldiers are believed to have been on the helicopter – which was on a training mission.
Boston Skating Club update on plane crash victims
Doug Zeghibe, the executive director of the Skating Club of Boston, confirms at least six of their members were killed in the midair collision over Washington DC.
How many victims were found?
January 30, 2025, 7:47 a.m.: Authorities reported Thursday morning that at least 28 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River following the collision of an American Airlines jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington.
Officials stated that the search for additional casualties is ongoing, but they do not anticipate finding any more survivors. This incident, if confirmed, would mark the deadliest air crash in the United States in nearly 24 years.
The plane’s body was discovered upside down and broken into three sections in waist-deep water, while the wreckage of the helicopter was also located.
What caused the plane crash?
What they’re saying:
9 a.m.: The cause of the deadly plane crash still remains unknown. According to officials, flight conditions appeared to be clear as the jet coming from Wichita, Kansas, was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash in part of an investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board.
What we know about the victims
What we know:
The passengers on the American Airlines flight included a group of figure skaters, their coaches, and family members. The group was returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
