Everything we know so far about Washington DC plane crash as 'at least' 20 dead
by Olivia Sheed · ChronicleLiveAmerican Airlines flight 5342 was inbound to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from Wichita Kansas when it collided with a Blackhawk Sikorsky H-60 helicopter on approach to the runway. Of the two aircraft, 60 passengers and 4 crew were onboard the American Airlines flight, and 3 soldiers were on the blackhawk helicopter.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been in control of the situation, issuing an immediate ground stop following the incident A multi-agency search and rescue effort was launched in the Potomac River soon after.
This is a developing situation, but we will inform you of everything we know so far.
What happened?
The American Airlines flight 5342 was inbound to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at an altitude of about 400ft and a speed of about 140 miles per hour when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River, according to data from its radio transponder.
A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the pilots said they were able to. Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33.
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.
The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river. The military helicopter was on a training flight, officials confirmed.
Where did the incident occur?
Flight 5342 was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when the collision occurred. The airport is the closest to the White House, within 3 miles of the residence of newly elected President Donald Trump, and less than 2 miles away from the Pentagon.
After the aircraft collided, they landed in the Potomac river, a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States that flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Around this time of year, the temperature in the water is barely above freezing.
NBC Washington's Mark Segraves, citing two sources, said the crash scene on the Potomac is closer toward the shore of Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling and the American Airlines plane "split in two and is in about 7 feet of water".
The flight originated from Wichita, Kansas, and was part of American Airline's regional aircraft company, American Eagle.
How many were onboard?
As stated, it is believed that of the two aircraft, 60 passengers and 4 crew were onboard the American Airlines flight, and 3 soldiers were on the blackhawk helicopter. As of writing, it is believed that 19 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac river.
Of those on board, it has been confirmed by the sport's governing body that members of the US figure skating community were on board. Several skaters, coaches and their family members were reported to have been on the flight, returning home from the National Development Camp for top young skaters.
When news that the passenger list contained the figure skaters, a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin released a statement about reports of Russian skaters being on board at the time of the crash. Dmitry Peskov said: "Sad information has been confirmed that there were Russian figure skaters and other fellow citizens on board the plane that crashed in Washington."
According to Tass - Russia's state news agency - skaters and coaches Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were named as being on board the American Airlines plane. The married pair won the world championship together in 1994.
Other names of those on-board have not been released yet, but former UK Airline Accident Investigation Branch senior inspector Tim Atkinson told Sky News that the initial force of the impact was likely too strong for anyone to have survived.
What is the death toll?
The plane was believed to be carrying 60 passengers and four crew members when it collided. Three soldiers were also on board the army helicopter, according to officials.
The number of bodies recovered from the Potomac River following the collision is “approaching 20”, NBC News reported, but no official death toll has been released.
What are the authorities doing?
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation into the mid-air crash over Washington DC's Potomac river. As of now, it is unclear how a passenger plane with modern collision-avoidance technology and nearby traffic controllers could collide with a military aircraft over the nation's capital.
CNN aviation correspondent and private pilot Pete Muntean said he was "stumbling over my words" over the incident. He goes on to explain that "commercial flights are equipped... with a system called TCAS, Traffic collision Avoidance System. It tells the pilots in the cockpit how to avoid other airplanes nearby. It is a system that came about because of mid-air collisions with commercial airliners and small general aviation aircraft, commercial airliners and helicopters."
He concludes that "investigators have an incredible amount of work cut out for them to figure out how a commercial airliner in the United States in 2025, when the pilots are incredibly trained, the technology is is incredibly sharp, collided with what is apparently a military or government helicopter."
The airspace around Washington is often crowded, with planes coming in low over the city to land at Reagan Airport and helicopters - military, civilian and carrying senior politicians or officials - buzzing about both day and night.
Political figures have released statements through the night, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall who represents Kansas, said that “Tonight, we received devastating news of what can only be described as nothing short of a nightmare" and expressed his sympathies, stating: "My prayer is that God wraps his arms around each and every victim, and that he continues to be with their families."
Vice President JD Vance released a statement on X , asking his followers to "Please say a prayer for everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport this evening." He added that they were "monitoring the situation".
Newly elected President Donald Trump released an official statement expressing his gratitude to first responders for their “incredible work,” noting that he was “monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise”. “May God Bless their souls,” he added.
However, in a statement on his account on Truth Social (a social media site he owns), he raised questions as to how the incident could have happened. He states that "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!!!"
This comes after reports of staff shortages at the FAA, the authority responsible for air safety across America. Over the last two years, a series of near-miss incidents has raised concerns about U.S. aviation safety and the strain on understaffed air traffic control operations. The FAA said last month it was opening an audit into runway incursion risks at the 45 busiest U.S. airports after a series of near-miss incidents.