American Airlines plane crash: 28 bodies recovered; all 64 feared dead after collision in Washington DC | 10 updates

A collision between a US military helicopter and a passenger jet has likely resulted in no survivors. Operations are ongoing

Hours after the deadly mid-air collision between a US military chopper and a passenger jet carrying 64 flyers, US officials said there were likely no survivors from the crash.

Part of the wreckage is seen as rescue crews search the waters of the Potomac River after a passenger plane on approach to Reagan National Airport crashed into the river after colliding with a US Army helicopter, near Washington, DC, on January 30, 2025. (AFP)

"We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly told a news conference at Reagan National Airport.

"At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors," Donnelly said, adding that 28 bodies had been recovered -- including one from the helicopter.

On Wednesday (ET), a regional jet, operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the icy waters of Washington's Potomac River.

Washington plane crash: Here are 10 latest updates

1. An American PSA Airlines plane carrying 64 passengers collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday and crashed into icy waters of Washington's Potomac River.
2. Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said that there are likely no survivors from the collision as recovery operations pulled 28 bodies from the river into which both the aircrafts crashed.
3. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of all planes at Reagan National, with operations set to resume at 11:00 am (1600GMT).
4. US Figure Skating said several athletes, coaches and officials were aboard the flight, while officials in Moscow confirmed married Russian couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov -- who won the 1994 world pairs title -- were on the jet.
5. Dramatic audio from air traffic controllers showed them repeatedly asking the helicopter if it had the passenger jet "in sight," and then just before the crash telling it to "pass behind" the plane.
6. There were no details on the cause of the crash, with transport officials saying both aircraft were on standard flight patterns on a clear night with good visibility.
7. Fire Chief Donnelly said 300 first responders had been involved in the operation, which has been described as one carried out under “extremely rough” conditions.
8. President Donald Trump posted a critical take on the incident on social media asking “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.”
9. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the crash.
10. As dawn broke over the crash site, emergency vessels with powerful arc lights and inflatables with diving teams could be seen moving back and forth over a wide area of the river.