Washington DC Plane Crash Live: US military helicopter ‘flying too high’, alleges President Trump

According to reports cited by Fox News, the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport may have been flying higher than its permitted altitude and outside its designated flight path. Citing four sources, The New York Times reported that the helicopter was expected to operate at a lower altitude and in a different location within the airspace.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his deep sadness over the loss of lives in the tragic collision in Washington DC, tweeting, "Deeply saddened by loss of lives in the tragic collision in Washington DC. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. We stand in solidarity with the people of the United States.

The Chinese Embassy in the US has confirmed that preliminary information suggests two Chinese citizens were among the victims of Wednesday's midair collision near Reagan National Airport.

The Embassy has extended its deepest condolences to the victims' families and requested that the US verify the information and provide formal notification to China, Xinhua reported.

DC Fire has announced that divers have completed their search of all accessible areas at the Potomac River crash site. The next phase of the operation, set to begin on Friday, will focus on locating aircraft components to aid the ongoing investigation and salvage the aircraft. Meanwhile, boats will remain on site overnight for security and to assist state and federal authorities with surface searches.

The Mayor of Wichita, Kansas, Lily Wu, expressed her community's collective grief and support for the families affected by the American Airlines plane crash that took off from Wichita with 64 passengers and crew on board, stating that the community came together for a prayer event to help those grieving, and officials are waiting to release the names of the victims out of respect for the familie.

The search effort for remaining bodies in the Potomac River has been temporarily halted due to hazardous conditions, with responders believing they have retrieved all remains that can be safely accessed, according to CBS News.

The Trump administration's offer to federal workers, including air traffic controllers, has raised concerns about the already short-staffed air traffic control system. The offer allows workers to resign by February 6 and receive pay without working through September 30.

With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) already facing staffing issues and estimating a need for 3,000 more air traffic controllers to meet industry demands, a significant number of resignations could exacerbate the problem. The FAA hired 1,811 air traffic controllers in 2024 and 1,500 in 2023, but attrition reduced the net gain, highlighting the challenges in filling the staffing gap. (CNN)

The airspace where the recent accident occurred has been described as "the most congested airspace" in the US, with a history of close calls, according to Peter Goelz, former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board. Goelz criticized Donald Trump's comments on diversity hires, calling them "appalling" and damaging to American aviation safety's reputation. (BBC)

President Donald Trump suggested that diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contributed to the recent plane crash, despite warnings from the National Transportation Safety Board that it's too early to determine the cause.

Trump stated that competence, not race, is the priority for FAA staff, emphasizing the need for highly skilled individuals in complex positions. While Trump plans to meet with families affected by the crash, he has no intention of visiting the collision site, jokingly asking if he should go swimming to access the site in the water.

The National Transportation Safety Board has yet to recover flight data recorders after the Potomac crash, according to Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the independent board, reported NBC. “We have not recovered the flight data recorders yet. We know they’re there. They are underwater. This is not unusual for the NTSB. We have many times recovered flight data recorders underwater,” Homendy said.

J. Todd Inman, a board member, said the agency expected to recover flight data recorders from both the passenger aircraft and the military helicopter involved in the crash. NTSB leaders said they plan to produce a preliminary report of the Potomac crash within 30 days. “We are going to conduct a thorough investigation of this entire tragedy, looking at the facts,” said Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board. “We have nearly 50 people on scene.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is about to begin a news conference on the Washington DC crash, reported BBC. Earlier, President Trump said the independent investigative government agency is one of the bodies that will be tasked with investigating the incident.

(BBC)

Loudoun and Fairfax County public schools confirmed members of their communities were among the victims of the crash. “Our hearts are broken as we learn that we have lost members of our FCPS family,” Fairfax Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid said. “I invite you to join me in praying for our families, friends, and colleagues.”

Loudoun Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence said "multiple victims" were former students, offering condolences to those grieving. Both districts are providing crisis counseling to students, staff, and families.

Donald Trump raised concerns about the Black Hawk helicopter’s movements before it collided with an American Eagle jet, questioning why the crash occurred on a clear night, reported NBC. "You had a pilot problem, from the standpoint of the helicopter. I mean, because it was visual, it was very clear night. It was cold, but clear and clear as you could be," Trump said. He added, "You could have gone up, you could have gone down. You could have gone straight up, straight down. You could have turned, you could have done a million different maneuvers."

Trump said the incident would be studied but suggested common sense could have prevented it. "Some really bad things happened, and some things happened that shouldn't have happened." When asked later, Trump clarified, "I'm not blaming the controller," but questioned "the height of the helicopter, the height of the plane being at the same level, going in opposite directions" before ending the news conference.

President Donald Trump addressed questions about the military helicopter’s training mission during remarks on the plane crash. "The helicopter was in the wrong place at the wrong time and a tragedy occurred," Trump said when asked about the incident. When pressed by a reporter about whether the helicopter was on a "continuity of government mission," Trump responded, "I don't know what that refers to."

He added that the aircraft was conducting a training exercise. "The helicopter was practising, and that's something that should be done," he said. "It was a practice that worked out very, very badly."

Donald Trump targeted former US Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, along with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in his remarks on the deadly DC plane crash. Trump criticized Biden’s policies, stating, "Biden’s policy was horrible," reported NBC. “We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system. I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary,” Trump said, without providing evidence or citing specific policy. He also blamed a "FAA diversity push" that "includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities that is amazing."

Trump then turned to Buttigieg, asking, "Do you know how badly everything’s run since he's run the Department of Transportation?" He added, "He's a disaster. He was a disaster as a mayor. He ran his city into the ground, and he's a disaster. Now he's just got a good line of bullshit."

“And then when I left office and Biden took over, he changed them back to lower than ever before. I put safety first, Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first, and they put politics at a level that nobody's ever seen because this was the lowest level,” he continued, adding, "their policy was horrible, and their politics was even worse."

US President Donald Trump confirmed that there were no survivors in the deadly midair collision, reported NBC. In his remarks at the White House, Trump described the tragedy as "a tragedy of terrible proportions." He began his statement with a moment of silence for the victims and their families, saying, "I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for our nation." The president highlighted the ongoing search and rescue efforts, adding, "A massive search and rescue mission was underway throughout the night, leveraging every asset at our disposal, and I have to say, the local, state, federal military, including the United States Coast Guard in particular, they've done a phenomenal job."

"This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital and in our nation's history and a tragedy of terrible proportions as one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly," Trump said, as per NBC.

The deadly midair collision between the American Eagle plane and the military helicopter in Washington DC is the first fatal disaster involving a US commercial aircraft in several years, reported NBC. It brings to mind past catastrophic incidents, such as the Bombardier DHC-8 crash near Buffalo, New York, on February 12, 2009, which killed 45 people, and the devastating crash of an American Airlines flight in New York on November 12, 2001, which took the lives of all 260 people on board. The DC collision also draws comparisons to the 1982 Air Florida crash in the Potomac River that claimed 78 lives.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the helicopter crew involved in the crash was "fairly experienced" and conducting an "annual proficiency training flight" at the time of the collision, reported NBC. Hegseth added that the three crewmembers were from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, based at Fort Belvoir, an army base in Virginia, approximately 14 miles from the airport.

President Donald Trump has been "fully briefed" on the deadly collision at Reagan National Airport, reported BBC. "I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "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."

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced in a post that President Donald Trump will speak about the deadly plane collision during a press briefing at 11 a.m. ET this morning, as per NBC. The briefing will take place in the White House's James S. Brady Briefing Room, according to Leavitt’s post.

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said, "Our hearts are heavy as a city," as per NBC. "We mourn with all those who have been impacted. This is a terrible tragedy that will unite those in Washington, DC, and Wichita, Kansas, forever," she added. Wu confirmed that final details on the individuals aboard the flight are not yet known, and no names will be released until families are contacted.

A communitywide prayer vigil will be held today at noon at Wichita City Hall. "Our community needs to come together to support the family members who have been impacted, to come together in honor of those individuals on that flight," Wu said.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the collision between a passenger jet and an army helicopter over Washington, feared to have killed all aboard, was "absolutely" preventable, as per NBC. Duffy explained that the helicopter and civilian jet were in a "standard pattern" with "standard communication" with air traffic control and that experienced pilots were involved.

“Everything was standard in the lead-up to the crash. Obviously, something happened here,” he said, reported NBC. Duffy later backed President Donald Trump’s claim that the incident was preventable. “To back up what the president said, what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” he stated.

US Congressman Ron Estes shared that he has spoken with the White House about the recent "tragic" incident, stating that Wichita's tight-knit community will feel its impact for years. He mentioned that while the investigation may take days or weeks, there's hope it will lead to measures that prevent similar accidents in the future.

(With inputs from BBC)

(With inputs from BBC)

There are likely no survivors from a crash involving a passenger jet and a US Army helicopter in Washington, officials said Thursday, as recovery teams pulled 28 bodies from the river where both aircraft went down.

"At this point we don't believe there are any survivors," Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said at a news conference at Reagan National Airport, near the US capital. "We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation."

Donnelly confirmed that 27 bodies were recovered from the plane and one from the helicopter.

Scores of people were feared dead after an American Airlines regional passenger jet carrying 64 people collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the frigid Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport.

NBC's Washington affiliate News4 reported that more than 30 bodies had been recovered from the river. US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, from where the flight was traveling, suggested most if not all those on board had been killed.

"It's really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously," he told a press conference at Reagan Airport in the US capital early on Thursday.

The midair collision occurred as the passenger jet was approaching to land at Reagan. Radio communications between the air traffic control tower and the Black Hawk showed the helicopter crew knew the plane was in the vicinity.

The Pentagon said it was launching an investigation. In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump questioned the actions of the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers on what he described as a clear night.

"This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!," he wrote.

American Eagle Flight 5342 was operated by PSA Airlines, an Ohio-based regional subsidiary of American Airlines. The plane was a CRJ-700, the airline said, from a line of regional jets made by Canada's Bombardier, later sold to Mitsubishi.
(Reuters)

The entire airport has been shut down until at least 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) while rescuers carry out rescue efforts in the icy cold river.

The Kremlin on Thursday expressed its condolences to the families of Russian citizens who lost their lives in the American Airlines plane crash in Washington on Wednesday night.

Russian ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the plane that crashed into the Potomac River after a mid-air collision near Reagan Washington National Airport.

When asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin planned to offer condolences to US President Donald Trump in a phone call, Peskov said there were no plans for high-level contacts for now. (Reuters)

A press briefing will take place at 7:30 am ET (6:15 pm IST) at Reagan National Airport, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a post on X. The briefing will be live-streamed on the platform.

"Tonight, as our first responders continue their efforts, we are sending our love and prayers to the families, loved ones, and communities who are experiencing loss during this terrible tragedy. We will provide our next briefing at 7:30 AM at DCA. It will be live on this account," she said.

Air traffic control audio recorded the final moments before and after the crash of an American Airlines regional passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter after a midair collision in Washington on Wednesday night.

Audio from LiveATC.net captured the final communications between the three crew members of the helicopter - call sign PAT25 - before it collided with the CRJ700 Bombardier jet carrying 64 passengers and crew, news agency Reuters reported.

"PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ," an air traffic controller said at 8.47 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday (01:47 GMT on Thursday).

Seconds later, another aircraft called in to air traffic control, saying, "Tower, did you see that?" - apparently referring to the crash. An air traffic controller then redirected planes heading to runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport to go around.

The explosion in midair occurred over the frigid Potomac River near the airport.

"Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three," one of the air traffic controllers can be heard saying in the audio from around the time of the crash. (Reuters)