Helicopter, plane collide: 41 remains recovered, 28 positively identified

WASHINGTON — An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a regional American Airlines flight that was on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night.

The crash was caught on video and you can see the helicopter collide with the plane. Three soldiers were on the helicopter conducting a training flight while 64 passengers and crew members were on American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, CNN reported.

Warning the video may be too intense for some viewers.

Runways may be closed for about a week

Update 2:53 p.m. ET Jan. 31: Reagan National Airport official Terry Liercke said two of the three runways at DCA will be closed for about a week, he said during an afternoon news conference, The Associated Press reported. They are closed to keep flights from taking off or landing over the crash site.

Officials also said that crews focused on the helicopter on Friday, but that they expect to recover all bodies and that they’re “working as fast as they can.”

So far 41 bodies have been recovered and 28 have been positively identified. Next-of-kin notifications have been made to 18 families, the AP reported. It is believed that 67 people died between Fligth 5342 and the Black Hawk helicopter, CNN reported.

The DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, Sr. said that the fuselage of the plane has to be removed to get to some of the remains, CNN reported. But they won’t know for sure until all have been recovered, he added, according to the AP.

Flight number 5342 retired

Update 12:20 p.m. ET Jan. 31: American Airlines will retire flight number 5342 the company said, according to ABC News.

Helicopter routes near DCA closed indefinitely

Update 10:48 a.m. ET Jan. 31: The Federal Aviation Administration closed the routes that helicopters use near Reagan National Airport are closed indefinitely, CNN reported.

The Army Black Hawk was flying in Route 4, typically used by military, law enforcement, medevac and government helicopters that runs east of Reagan National Airport. Helicopters in that zone must fly at 200 feet above sea level or lower. The portion of Route 4 that is closed is north of the Wilson Bridge.

Route 1, which is south of the Key Bridge is also closed, CNN reported.

New video of crash

Update 9:57 a.m. ET Jan. 31: CNN reported that two new videos of the moment of the collision have been released. They show different angles than the videos released on Wednesday morning. This time you can see two sets of aircraft lights. One flies toward the other and crosses paths, eventually crashing in a fireball and sparks. Warning the videos may be too intense to watch.

More than 40 bodies recovered

Update 9:21 a.m. ET Jan. 31: Law enforcement officials said that more than 40 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage in Potomac River, The Associated Press reported.

Helicopter black box not yet recovered

Update 9:07 a.m. ET Jan. 31: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News that the Army’s Black Hawk helicopter’s black box has not yet been recovered, The Associated Press reported. He said they are also investigating if the crew was flying using night vision goggles.

CNN reported that multiple people have said that the helicopter was flying too high and may have been a half-mile from its designated route. The New York Times reported that the helicopter was to fly at a maximum of 200 feet.

Only about 350 feet were designated between the helicopter flight lane and the plane flight lane, CNN reported. There had been two close calls between planes and helicopters where airplane pilots had to take what CNN called “evasive actions” at Reagan National Airport over the past three years. In those cases, the Traffic Collision Avoidance System alerted the pilots to the nearby helicopters. A third incident involved two helicopters and the air traffic controller’s report said “there isn’t enough staffing to fill all positions in the tower (cabin).”

Meanwhile, NBC News reported that an air traffic control supervisor allowed an air traffic controller to leave work early on Wednesday. The New York Times was the first to report that staffing information.

Typically a single controller is responsible for tracking helicopters while another is responsible for airplanes, NBC reported. It is not unheard of however for controllers to do two jobs simultaneously, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association president told CNN.

What you may have missed

Update 7:21 a.m. ET Jan. 31: The data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the American Airlines flight have been recovered, CNN reported.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Peter Knudson said they were taken to the agency’s labs for evaluation, The Associated Press reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that one air traffic controller was coordinating both helicopter traffic as well as airplane arrivals and departures, the AP reported. The report said it was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” but a person familiar with staffing said it was, adding that there is coordination when someone has to step away for a break, shift change or when air traffic is slow, the AP reported.

There has been a long shortage of air traffic controllers and steps have been taken to lessen the fatigue that comes with the high-stress job including 10 hours off between shifts, 12 hours off before and after a midnight shift and a limit on overnight overtime.

The search for victims was suspended on Thursday night until Friday morning. Fourteen people have still not been found. Four people have been accounted for but were pinned inside the plane’s wreckage. Two of the Army’s soldiers were also still inside the helicopter’s wreckage. A crane will be brought in to help in the search, CNN reported.

NTSB update

Update 2:54 p.m. ET Jan. 30: The National Transportation Safety Board briefed the media on Thursday afternoon. Jennifer Homendy, NTSB chairwoman said the entire board is part of the investigation.

Homendy said that the board will “leave no stone unturned” during the investigation. She said that the NTSB allowed the first responders to do their rescue and recovery mission. She added that this was the first full day that the agency’s assets were on the scene to investigate.

She said they will only give information when they can give factual information.

Todd Inman, NTSB member, said that not only will they try to find out what happened and to prevent it from happening again. A preliminary report will be issued within 30 days. But they will not have a cause of the crash today.

The NTSB will be conducting a multi-faceted investigation into the crash. They will look at the history the flight and what the crew was doing in the days leading to the crash. They will look at the plane itself, with some groups looking at the systems on the aircraft. They will have a group that investigates the air control systems including the controller-pilot communication. There will also be a helicopter group investigating the helicopter and the crew.

“We will look into the human, the machine and the environment,” Homendy said, which is standard in any NTSB investigation.

American Airlines crew was based in Charlotte

Update 2:20 p.m. ET Jan. 30: The flight crew was based in Charlotte, North Carolina, WSOC reported. One of the crewmembers was identified by family members as Ian Epstein.

A colleague has identified the American Flight 5342 captain as Jonathan Campos, CNN reported. The coworker said Campos has been a captain at the company since 2022.

Two military pilots killed

Update 1:21 p.m. ET Jan. 30: U.S. Army officials said that two pilots were killed in the crash. The male and female pilots’ bodies had been in the fuselage in about eight feet of water, The New York Times. A third crewmember, a male staff sergeant, was recovered earlier.

The Associated Press said military officials confirmed all three have been recovered and that they will be taken to Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force base in Delaware.

Army officials have not confirmed the identities of those killed on the helicopter. However, officials at a Georgia high school said one of those killed was an alumni.

WSB reported that Ryan O’Hara was the crew chief on the helicopter. He had been a member of the Parkview High School JROTC, which confirmed he was one of those killed.

Pilot told to change runway before crash

Update 1:17 p.m. ET Jan. 30: The New York Times reported that the pilot of Flight 5342 was asked to change to a different runway just before the crash.

Originally it was supposed to land at Runway 1, the main runway at Reagan National Airport, but the was told to circle and then land on Runway 33.

The Associated Press reported that the Black Hawk was about 100 feet above the highest altitude allowed for the flight path. The FAA set the maximum altitude for Route 4 at 200 feet above ground level, according to published documents. Radar showed it at 300 feet, but the radar data has not been independently verified, the AP noted. Defense Secretary Pete Heseth said an “elevation issue” may have contributed to the crash.

Trump: “An hour of anguish for our nation”

Update 11:22 a.m. ET Jan. 30: President Donald Trump started his morning news conference with a moment of silence for those on board the airplane and helicopter.

He called the crash “an hour of anguish for our nation.”

He promised that the NTSB, the U.S. military and other federal agencies would do a comprehensive investigation into the crash to “figure out exactly what happened.”

Trump said “We’ll find out how this disaster occurred and will ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.”

He said Christopher Rocheleau was immediately appointed as the acting commissioner of the Federal Aviation Administration. A permanent commissioner will need Senate confirmation, The Associated Press reported. Rocheleau was with the FAA for 22 years.

Before Trump spoke, flights resumed at Reagan National Airport, the AP reported. Flights had been either canceled or delayed Thursday morning.

Latest images from crash site

Update 10:55 a.m. ET Jan. 30:

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Annual proficiency training flight

Update 10:01 a.m. ET Jan. 30: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the crew on the Black Hawk helicopter was doing an annual proficiency training flight, CNN reported.

“It was a fairly experienced crew that was doing an annual required night evaluation,” and “they did have night vision goggles,” Hegseth said.

The identities of the three members on board the helicopter have not been identified pending next of kin notification.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News that the crew was made up of an officer, a warrant officer and a crew chief.

The helicopter was part of the 12th Aviation Battalion which is on an operational pause following the collision. It will remain so until a review is completed. Officials will look to see if the Black Hawk was in the correct corridor and altitude when it hit the plane, CNN reported.

Trump to speak

Update 9:57 a.m. ET Jan. 30: President Donald Trump will speak Thursday morning from the White House briefing room addressing the crash. He said he was “fully briefed” about the collision, writing on Truth Social this morning, “I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. 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.”

Shortly after the crash, Trump took to his social media platform, writing on Wednesday night, “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!!!”

Portions of National Harbor closed

Update 9:42 a.m. ET Jan. 30: A portion of National Harbor in nearby Oxon Hill, Maryland, is closed due to debris from the crash.

Parts of the wreckage have floated into the area so the piers and plaza at the harbor are closed to help with search and recovery efforts, acting Prince George’s County Executive Tara Jackson said on social media.

Skating Club of Boston members killed

Update 9:30 a.m. ET Jan. 30: The Skating Club of Boston confirmed six people, either members of the club or their parents, were killed on Wednesday night. That included two teens and two coaches, The Associated Press reported.

“Our hearts are heavy as a city.”

Update 9:03 a.m. ET Jan. 30: Officials from Wichita, Kansas, are holding a news conference.

“Our hearts are heavy as a city, our hearts are heavy as a city council. and we are here to provide the support for our community and all who are affected,” Mayor Lily Wu said.

She said they would share confirmed information about the crash when they receive it.

Wu confirmed that they were told there were no survivors and then broke down saying that the tragedy would unite Wichita and Washington, D.C. forever.

She said that information on the victims would not be shared by the city officials until the families of those killed have been told.

Black boxes not recovered

Update 8:44 a.m. ET Jan. 30: The NTSB said the black boxes from either aircraft have not been recovered yet, WRC reported on air.

Original report: The Associated Press reported that hundreds of rescue crews were on the scene after the crash, searching the Potomac River that flows next to the airport looking for victims.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser briefed the media on Thursday morning, along with local and federal officials and the CEO of American Airlines.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that it was a clear night and the plane was on the standard flight pattern as it came into the airport. He said it was not an unusual occurrence that a military aircraft was flying near a passenger aircraft.

First responders have found the fuselage of the American Airlines aircraft. He said it was inverted and in three pieces in waist-deep water.

Duffy said the helicopter wreckage was also found.

Chief John Donnelly, DC Fire and EMS said the mission has switched from a rescue to a recovery. They have recovered 27 bodies from the American Airlines flight and one from the helicopter. Donnelly said there were no survivors. Officials from area medical examiner offices are working to identify those killed in the crash.

If there are no survivors, the AP said this would be the deadliest air crash in the U.S. in nearly 24 years.

Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines, shared a phone number - 800-679-8215- where family members who had people on flight 5342 can call and get the latest information and help from the airline.

The airport remains closed, but airport officials hope to have the airport reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Bowser said the National Transportation Safety Board will be the lead investigators and the agency will provide briefings later today.

Officials said that the wind that was blowing in the area had pushed the debris from the initial crash area toward the Wilson Bridge, so the debris field was spread out in the river.

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