An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.
At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac, officials said.
Crews were still searching for other casualties but did not believe there were any survivors, which would make it the deadliest US air crash in nearly 24 years.
The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found. Three soldiers were on board.
Here’s the latest:
President Trump sends message of condolence
President Donald Trump has sent a message of condolence to those affected by the deadly collision at a D.C.-area airport.
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls,” he said on Truth Social.
“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.”
Six killed from Boston-area figure skating club
Two young figure skaters, two of their parents and two highly-regarded Russian figure skating coaches were among those killed after an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter collided Wednesday night and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.
“This will have long-reaching impacts for our community,” said Doug Zeghibe, chief executive at the Skating Club of Boston, said during a news conference where he was visibly emotional.
Two of those killed were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were well-known Russian skaters but have been coaching at the Skating Club of Boston since 2017.
US Figure Skating previously confirmed that several skaters, coaches and family members were on the commercial flight after attending a development camp that followed the national championships, which wrapped up Sunday in Wichita, Kansas.
Russian figure skaters are among the victims
Two Russian figure skating coaches whose son recently finished fourth at the US Figure Skating Championships were among those feared dead after an American Airlines and an Army helicopter collided crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.
US Figure Skating confirmed that several skaters, coaches and family members were on the commercial flight after attending a development camp that followed the national championships that ended Sunday in Wichita, Kansas.
Two of those killed were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were well-known Russian skaters but have been coaching at the Skating Club of Boston since 2017.Officials say they do not believe anyone survived in the Wednesday crash. The American Airlines jet had 60 passengers and four crew members. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.
FAA joins NTSB in investigation of midair collision
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration will join the NTSB-led investigation of Wednesday night’s midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a military helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport.
The NTSB is leading the investigation.
Airport to reopen at 11 am after deadly crash
Located along the Potomac River, just southwest of Washington, D.C., the Ronald Reagan National Airport is a popular choice because it’s much closer to the US capital than the larger Dulles International Airport.
All takeoffs and landings from Reagan Airport were halted following the crash. It will reopen at 11 am Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced.
Fire chief confident that remains of victims will be recovered
Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly says he’s confident that the remains of those killed in the crash will be recovered, but it may take some time. At least 28 bodies have been recovered.
Officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita, Kansas was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path. Three soldiers were on board the helicopter during a training flight, an Army official said.
American Airlines has sent up centres in Washington and Wichita, Kansas, for people searching for information about family members and families.
Duffy says accident was “absolutely” preventable
Asked about President Donald Trump suggesting in an overnight social media post that the collision could have been prevented, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “Do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.
Duffy also said passengers should be “assured” that flying is safe.
“I would just say that everyone who flies in American skies expects that we fly safely. That when you depart an airport, you get to your destination. That didn’t happen last night and I know that President Trump, his administration, the FAA, the DOT, we will not rest until we have answers for the families and for the flying public. You should be assured that when you fly, you’re safe.”
Duffy says US has “safest airspace in the world”
“We have early indicators of what happened here and I will tell you with complete confidence we have the safest airspace in the world,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
Duffy said that, prior to the collision, the plane and helicopter flight paths “were not unusual for what happens in the DC airspace”
“Everything was standard in the lead up to the crash. Obviously, there was something that happened here,” Duffy said.
Families anxious for news for those on the AA flight
Hamaad Raza is waiting for news from authorities about the fate of his wife, who he said was among 60 passengers on the American Airlines flight from Wichita.
Raza said he was waiting for the plane when his wife texted that her flight was 20 minutes from landing.
When his messages failed to be delivered he became concerned.
“That’s when I realized something might be up,” Raza told WUSA-TV.
His 26-year-old wife, who he didn’t name, had flown to Wichita, Kansas, for work.
“I’m just praying that somebody’s pulling her out of the river as we speak,” Raza said. “That’s all I can pray for.”
Kremlin confirms former champion Russian skaters were onboard
The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian figure skaters, as well as other Russian nationals, were on the American Airlines plane that crashed into the Potomac River near Washington, DC.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to reporters Thursday that Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 world championships and competed at the Winter Olympics twice, were aboard the plane.
“Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed. There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash,” he said.
He did not give details on how many fatalities there were.
Shishkova and Naumov are listed as professional pairs coaches on the website of the Skating Club of Boston. Their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skater for the US
Rescuers search in near freezing river water for survivors
Hundreds of rescuers were searching the frigid waters of the Potomac River for any survivors of the plane crash.
Images showed boats around a partly submerged wing and what appeared to be the mangled wreckage of the plane’s fuselage.
Helicopters flew overhead with powerful search lights scanning the murky waters, while emergency vehicles lit up the banks of the Potomac in a long line of blinking red lights.
The water temperature was just above freezing.
Global skating community ‘deeply shocked and heartbroken’
The international governing body for figure skating said the global skating community was “deeply shocked” and heartbroken to learn that figure skaters and those close to them were onboard the flight that collided with a military helicopter.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport — it’s a close-knit family — and we stand together,” the International Skating Union said in a statement.
Crews in plane crash response face ‘rough’ conditions
Officials who held a press conference at Reagan National Airport did not announce any deaths, but they all had a sombre tone.
Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas said “when one person dies it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die it’s an unbearable sorrow.”
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser would not say whether any bodies were recovered from the crash.
There are currently about 300 responders working on the rescue operation
Washington Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said at the early Thurday news conference thatconditions are “extremely rough for responders,” with cold weather and intense wind.
The Potomac River is about 8 feet deep where the aircraft crashed after their collision.
“The water is dark. It is murky,” Connelly said.
Helicopter was on training flight
The US Army said the helicopter that collided with a passenger jet was a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. A crew of three soldiers were onboard the helicopter, an Army official said. The helicopter was on a training flight.
Military aircraft frequently conduct training flights in and around the congested and heavily-restricted airspace around the nation’s capital for familiarization and continuity of government planning.
‘There was a lot of sadness’ in terminal after passenger jet crash
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz was waiting to catch his flight back to Buffalo, New York when he saw through the terminal window some emergency vehicles moving out below.
“It didn’t seem anything too strange at that point,” Poloncarz said. “And then about a minute or so after that, there was an announcement of a full-ground stop, that there would be no flights landing and no flights taking off. And then we started to see a lot of emergency vehicles heading towards the river.”
Poloncarz and others soon saw reports on social media of a plane crash, while rumors began to swirl.
“When flights get delayed, people get aggravated and upset. But there was no one getting aggravated or upset because I think we all realized pretty quickly the magnitude of what occurred. The terminal grew pretty quiet. There was a lot of sadness.”