Donald Trump confirms ‘there are no survivors’ in devastating Washington DC plane crash | LIVE updates

U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions as he speaks to reporters about Wednesday's deadly midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Eagle flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: An American Airlines regional jet reportedly collided midair with a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The plane was coming from Wichita, Kansas. A person familiar with the details said the flight was carrying 64 people, CNBC reported. The airport was closed Wednesday night, January 29.

The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter around 9 pm ET while the passenger jet was on approach to Runway 33 at the airport, the FAA said. On board the flight were 60 passengers and four crew members. The helicopter was an Army Black Hawk, according to a defence official and an Army official. According to local officials, the plane went down in the Potomac River.

During a White House press briefing on Thursday, Donald Trump confirmed that “sadly, there are no survivors” in the horrific collision. A total of 67 people, including three soldiers on board the military helicopter, are believed to have died in the accident. The president began his address with a “moment of silence,” calling Wednesday a “dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history.”

Trump wasted no time after the accident as he appointed an acting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commissioner. “I'm immediately appointing an acting commissioner to the FAA, Christopher Rocheleau, a 22-year veteran of the agency, highly respected,” the president said, adding, “We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system.”