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What we know so far about Washington DC plane crash What we know so far about Washington DC plane crash
(about 3 hours later)
BBC Verify analyses the moments before the Washington DC plane crashBBC Verify analyses the moments before the Washington DC plane crash
No survivors are expected after a passenger plane collided in midair with a helicopter near Washington DC's Ronald Reagan airport on Wednesday evening. Sixty-seven people are believed to have died after a passenger plane hit a helicopter in mid-air near Washington DC's Ronald Reagan airport on Wednesday evening.
The plane was carrying 64 passengers and crew when it crashed into the Potomac River after the collision. The helicopter had three people on board, who were labelled a "fairly experienced crew" by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. It is not clear what caused the crash, which is being investigated. Authorities have recovered the flight data recorders from the American Airlines jet, and continue to find bodies in the icy Potomac River into which the plane fell.
Figure skaters from the US and Russia were among passengers on the aeroplane, according to officials from US Figure Skating and a club in Boston. Details are emerging about the 64 people who were on board the plane, who included top figure skaters, as well as four crew members. Meanwhile, the helicopter was carrying three soldiers.
Authorities searching the freezing waters say they have switched to a recovery operation. Live: Follow the latest updates
What we know so far about the plane crash
Who are the victims?
BBC Verify analyses moments before collision
Watch: The scene in DC after moment of impactWatch: The scene in DC after moment of impact
Watch: First responders rush to the scene
US and Russian figure skaters were on board crashed plane
Combative Trump blames diversity policies after air tragedy
What happened?What happened?
At about 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, a PSA Airlines jet operating as American Airlines 5342 collided with a US Army helicopter as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The plane, a Bombardier CRJ700, had travelled from Wichita, Kansas. It was operating as American Airlines flight 5342.
The passenger plane broke into multiple pieces and sank several feet into the river, while the helicopter ended up upside down on the water. The US Army helicopter was a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk that took off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia, and belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion.
The plane, a Bombardier CRJ700, departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was carrying 60 passengers and four crew, American Airlines said. The helicopter appears to have been flying above the permitted altitude, according to analysis by the BBC's US partner, CBS News.
According to updates from officials, the helicopter was a Sikorsky H-60 that took off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia with three soldiers on board, and belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion.
Hegseth said the aircraft was on an annual proficiency flight and performing a night evaluation. He said they had night-vision goggles. The defence secretary said names and ranks were being withheld until their next-of-kin had been informed.
Recordings of air traffic control conversations published online suggested that a controller tried to warn the helicopter about the American Airlines plane in the seconds before the collision.Recordings of air traffic control conversations published online suggested that a controller tried to warn the helicopter about the American Airlines plane in the seconds before the collision.
The helicopter pilot appears to respond to confirm they are aware of the plane, but moments later the two aircraft crashed. The helicopter pilot appeared to respond to confirm they were aware of the plane, but moments later the two aircraft hit each other. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy also said he thought the helicopter was aware of the plane nearby.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters on Thursday: "I would say the helicopter was aware there was a plane in the area." LISTEN: Audio of air traffic controllers seemingly directing the helicopter to avoid the plane
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began its first full day of investigation on Thursday and intends to release a preliminary report in 30 days. Joining Duffy at a briefing on Thursday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth added that the helicopter was on an annual proficiency flight, performing a night evaluation - and the crew had night-vision goggles.
Officials have retrieved the data recorder from the jet and will look into possible contributing factors to the crash, including human error. The collision happened at about 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT), as the plane approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Hegseth has said he expected the investigation to quickly establish whether the helicopter was flying in the right corridor and altitude. NTSB officials said on Thursday that the helicopter appeared to move from one corridor into another in a standard maneuver. One eyewitness, Ari Schulman, told NBC Washington that the plane's approach looked normal, until he saw it bank hard to the right, with "streams of sparks" running underneath the craft, illuminating its belly, which he believed to look "very, very wrong".
Another eyewitness, Jimmy Mazeo, recalled seeing what looked like a "white flare" in the sky. He remarked that planes approaching the airport appeared to have been flying in "irregular patterns".
After the impact, the passenger plane broke into multiple pieces and sank several feet into the river, while the helicopter ended up upside down on the water.
Hundreds of first responders on rubber boats were deployed to search for survivors. Officials highlighted the challenging conditions in which they were working due to ice floating on the freezing-cold river, and contending with the plane wreckage.
They later said they did not expect to find any survivors and had changed the focus of their mission to focus on recovering bodies.
How many victims are there?How many victims are there?
Officials don't believe there are any survivors from this accident. The latest official update says 28 bodies have been recovered from the scene so far.
Twenty-seven bodies have been recovered from the plane, and one from the helicopter. The people known to have been on the flight include top figure skaters, a young pilot, flight attendants, and a lawyer travelling home on her birthday.
US Figure Skating said "several members of our skating community were sadly aboard" the flight. It said this group comprised athletes, coaches and family members who were returning home from a development camp in Kansas. They comprise a range of nationalities - and several of them have been identified by family members and organisations.
Russian citizens were also on board, the Kremlin confirmed - after local media reported that ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on the plane. Among the skaters were six people linked to a club in Boston. They were two teenagers, their mothers, and two Russian coaches, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were former world champions in their sport, the club said.
About 300 responders on rubber boats were deployed to search for survivors, Donnelly said. "The challenge is access, there is wind, pieces of ice [on the water]. It is dangerous and hard to work in," he said. Watch: Figure skating performances of DC plane crash victims
The plane's captain Jonathan Campos was named by his aunt, who told the New York Times that flying planes had been her nephew's lifelong dream.
Ryan O'Hara was the crew chief of the helicopter, according to CBS.
Who are the victims?
US and Russian figure skaters were on board crashed planeUS and Russian figure skaters were on board crashed plane
Watch: Recovery efforts continue as day breaks in Washington DC
What are eyewitnesses saying? What's the status of the investigation?
Ari Schulman told NBC Washington that he saw the plane crash while he was driving on the George Washington Parkway, which runs alongside the airport. It remains unclear what caused the crash. Officials have retrieved from the jet the data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder - known as the black boxes - and will look into possible contributing factors, including human error.
He said the plane's approach looked normal, until he saw it bank hard to the right, with "streams of sparks" running underneath, illuminating its belly. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began its first full day of investigation on Thursday and intends to release a preliminary report in 30 days.
At that point, he said he knew that it looked "very, very wrong". Having seen plane landings there in the past, he said a plane's underside should not have been visible in the dark. Hegseth has said he expected the investigation to establish whether the helicopter was flying in the right corridor and altitude.
The sparks, he said, resembled a "giant roman candle" and went from the plane's nose to its tail. NTSB officials said on Thursday that the helicopter appeared to move from one corridor into another in a standard manoeuvre.
Jimmy Mazeo said he saw the crash while having dinner with his girlfriend at a park near the airport. As the official probe continues, the New York Times has reported that the air traffic control staffing was "not normal" at the time - citing a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report.
He recalled seeing what looked like a "white flare" in the sky. He said planes approaching Ronald Reagan Airport appeared to have been flying in "irregular patterns". Normally two people manage helicopters and airplanes flying in the area, but only one person was reportedly doing so at the time of the crash, the NYT and CBS reported.
Mr Mazeo said he did not think much of what he saw until emergency services started arriving at the scene. It has also been reported by the Washington Post and CNN that just 24 hours before the deadly crash, another jet had to abort its landing at the airport after a helicopter came close to its flight path.
Watch: Witness describes seeing ‘white flare’ at moment of plane collision
What has President Trump said?What has President Trump said?
In a press conference on Thursday, President Trump said the country was "in mourning". In a press conference on Thursday, President Trump said the country was "in mourning", before going on to take a swipe at his political foes.
He also took a swipe at his political foes, who he accused of hiring "mediocre" staff for air traffic control jobs. He repeated his attacks on efforts under former President Joe Biden to promote diversity within the federal workforce, suggesting standards at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had been lowered. He speculated, without giving evidence, that lowered standards of hiring for air traffic controllers in the FAA during the Joe Biden and Barack Obama presidencies may have been a factor in the disaster.
Trump said he and his team had "strong opinions and ideas" about what had happened, but acknowledged that the investigation was at an early stage.Trump said he and his team had "strong opinions and ideas" about what had happened, but acknowledged that the investigation was at an early stage.
He also announced he was appointing Chris Rocheleau as the temporary head of the FAA. The top job there, as well as the positions of administrator and deputy administrator, have been vacant since Trump took office.He also announced he was appointing Chris Rocheleau as the temporary head of the FAA. The top job there, as well as the positions of administrator and deputy administrator, have been vacant since Trump took office.
Watch: First responders at scene of plane crash in Washington DC Combative Trump blames diversity policies after tragedy
How is air safety in the US? Watch: Trump says, without evidence, that diversity policies were factor in DC plane crash
What's America's air safety record?
Major incidents of this kind are relatively rare in the US. The most recent comparable crash was in 2009, according to a list compiled by Reuters.Major incidents of this kind are relatively rare in the US. The most recent comparable crash was in 2009, according to a list compiled by Reuters.
That year, an aircraft crashed on approach to landing in Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground.That year, an aircraft crashed on approach to landing in Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground.
The airspace above Washington DC is both busy and highly controlled. It is used by domestic and international traffic using two airports, and there are extra factors of presidential flights, heavy military traffic and flights around the Pentagon.The airspace above Washington DC is both busy and highly controlled. It is used by domestic and international traffic using two airports, and there are extra factors of presidential flights, heavy military traffic and flights around the Pentagon.
Passenger airliners must follow fixed flight plans, said the BBC's transport correspondent Sean Dilley. Unlike in uncontrolled airspace, military pilots operate under strict instruction of air traffic controllers but unlike their civilian counterparts, they have freedom to deviate and a duty to "see and avoid" other aircraft. Passenger airliners must follow fixed flight plans, said the BBC's transport correspondent Sean Dilley. Unlike in uncontrolled airspace, military pilots operate under strict instruction of air traffic controllers. But unlike their civilian counterparts, they have freedom to deviate and a duty to "see and avoid" other aircraft.
Get in touchGet in touch
Were you in the area? did you witness the incident? If it is safe to do so, please get in touch.Were you in the area? did you witness the incident? If it is safe to do so, please get in touch.