Live: Officials confirm no survivors in Washington DC crash as search switches to recovery

The plane crash near Washington D.C. has significant connection to Russia, with “several” citizens on board.

The incident happened about 5am Thursday, Moscow time, and the country’s state-controlled media outlets have been following the story closely.

Kommersant, the national daily newspaper, is reporting that several former Russian figure skaters were on the plane “including world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, as well as Soviet figure skater Inna Volyanskaya, who had worked as coaches in the United States”.

A RIA Novosti report claims the pilot of the military helicopter was told by air-traffic control to let the passenger airline pass. Citing a recording of the conversation, it claims the helicopter pilot “did not react” to the direction.

TASS, one of the largest outlets in Russia, is providing rolling updates on its website and the encrypted messaging service Telegram, mainly wrapping what US outlets and the Kremlin are saying.

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.”

First responders have recovered the bodies of 28 passengers from the American Airlines jet that collided with the helicopter, US officials said.

The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found.

Officials said they were still searching for other casualties but did not believe there were any other survivors, which would make it the deadliest US air crash in nearly 24 years.

Shaun Duffy US Secretary of Transportation said he wished he was speaking under different circumstances.

“This was a clear night last night (in Washington DC). The helicopter was in a standard training pattern, and the American Airlines jet was in a standard pattern. This was not unusual.”

“We have located the two aircrafts, the fuselage of the American Airlines place has been located, it is in about waste deep water.”

He finished by saying safety is his department’s priority and that he wants answers as to how this happened.

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has said she is sorry for the loss many American families are feeling right now.

“I speak for all of us when I say how very sad we are for American Airlines, for the US Department of Defence and for all Americans for the loss of life that happened with the DC aircrafts,” she said speaking at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

“It includes families from our regions, as well as from Kansas and across the country.”

The Washington Fire Department has confirmed they no longer believe there are any survivors.

John Donnelly Fire and EMS Chief at Washington DC Fire Department thanked all the local and regional departments who helped with the search and rescue effort.

“Despite all those efforts we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.

“We don’t believe there are any survivors.”

“We have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter.”

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and other officials are set to hold a press conference in the next 10 minutes.

We will provide you with more information following Mayor Bowser’s update.

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

Russian ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the plane that crashed into the Potomac River.

“We unfortunately see that these sad reports are being confirmed. Our other fellow citizens were there,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

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

According to US media outlet NBC Washington, 30 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River.

They have cited two sources familiar with the rescue efforts.

Search and rescue workers were on the river all through the night in Washington DC.

The plane, American Eagle Flight 5342, and the military helicopters both lie in ruin in the river.

The time is now 6am in Washington DC and we still have not got a confirmed figure of how many people have died in the incident.

US news outlets have reported varying numbers of deaths, however there has not been an definite figure provided by any US officials.

President Donald Trump said he had been “fully briefed on this terrible accident” and, referring to the passengers, added, “May God Bless their souls.”

Through the night, over 300 first responders were on scene and inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a point along the George Washington Parkway.

First responders set up light towers from the shore to illuminate the area near the collision site and at least a half-dozen boats were scanning the water using searchlights.

• A jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided with a US Army helicopter carrying three people while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington DC.
• Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was unable to give an exact figure of how many people had died and how many bodies had been recovered.
• Former world champion Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were two of the passengers on the American Airlines flight, according to Russian State media. 
• A large search-and-rescue operation is currently underway with 300 responders working in “very dark and cold” conditions in the nearby Potomac River.
• Nineteen aircraft were diverted away from the airport, which will remain closed until 11am tomorrow.
• US President Donald Trump said the crash “should have been prevented”, adding “what a terrible night this has been”.

The crash has highlighted issues around the congested airspace shared by civilian and military aircraft over the US capital.

Military helicopters are a common sight in the Washington region which is home to numerous military bases.

Over a three-year period ending in 2019, there were 88,000 helicopter flights within 48 km of Reagan National Airport, including about 33,000 military and 18,000 law enforcement flights, the Government Accountability Office said in a 2021 report.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a press conference the Federal Aviation Administration would “take appropriate action if necessary to modify flight paths” to ensure adequate separation between civilian airplanes and military helicopters.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said an investigation had been launched by the Army and Defense Department.

There have been several near-miss incidents at Reagan National Airport that have sparked alarm, including a near-collision in May 2024 between an American Airlines jet and a small airplane and one in April 2024 between Southwest and JetBlue airplanes.

A shortage of air traffic controllers has delayed flights and raised safety concerns across the United States.

With Reuters

The crash is serving as a major test for two of the Trump administration’s newest agency leaders.

Pete Hegseth, sworn in days ago as defense secretary, posted on social media that an investigation has been “launched immediately” by the Army and the Defense Department.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, just sworn in earlier this week, said at a somber news conference at the airport early Thursday that his agency would provide all possible resources to the investigation.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson says the Australian Embassy in Washington DC is making urgent enquiries with local authorities following an aircraft collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport. 

“At this stage we are not aware of any Australians affected,” they said.

“We send our deepest condolences to the victims and their loved ones.”

Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre 1300 555 135 (within Australia) and +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas).

Air traffic control audio recorded the final moments before and after the crash.

Audio from LiveATC.net, a respected source for in-flight recording, captured the final communications between the three crew members of the helicopter (PAT25) before it collided with the jet.

“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.

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 about the time of the crash.

“I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach into 33. We’re going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future,” another controller remarked.

“Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river,” a third air traffic controller can be heard saying.

“It was probably out in the middle of the river,” the controller said. “I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit.”

With Reuters

Former world champion Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were two of the passengers on the American Airlines flight, according to Russian State media.

Their son Maxim, who competed for the United States in singles, was also feared to have been on board the plane, Russia’s TASS and RIA news agencies reported.

He had been competing at the US figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas

A number of figure skaters and coaches were believed to have been on the flight.

Shishkova and Naumov competed in pair skating for the USSR and Russian national teams. In 1994, they became world champions.

It’s around 3am here in Washington, roughly six hours since the crash unfolded, and there are grave fears for the passengers and crew onboard both the jet and the military helicopter.

Officials at tonight’s press conference wouldn’t provide any information on whether there have been any confirmed deaths, and they insist they’re still in “rescue mode”.

Around 300 first responders have rushed to the scene, but they’re up against high winds and the icy waters of the Potomac River as they work through the night.

The last time there was a fatal crash involving a commercial plane in the United States was 2009, when 49 people were killed near Buffalo, New York.

Investigations have already been launched into this incident. The families of those killed, and the travelling public, will demand answers into what went wrong.

But the immediate priority for emergency crews is still on the search for survivors.

And while people in this city, and across the country, will wake up later this morning local time hoping for the best, many will fear the worst.

Here’s what we know about the military helicopter involved in the collision.

• The US Army described the helicopter as a UH-60 Black Hawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
• 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 familiarisation and continuity of government planning.

Washington DC fire chief John Donnelly said earlier that at least 300 responders are continuing to work on the “highly complex” rescue operation.

“Conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders,” Donnelly said. “It’s cold. They’re dealing with windy conditions.”

Asked by reporters whether there were any survivors, he responded that “we don’t know yet.”

In the image below, emergency crews assess aircraft wreckage in the river.