ARLINGTON, Va. (AP/1010 WINS) — An American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter with three soldiers onboard while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington on Wednesday night. No one survived in what is the deadliest commercial airliner crash since a 2009 crash near Buffalo that killed 50 people.
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2 PM -- Army says crew of Blackhawk that crashed was ‘very experienced’
The crew that was flying the Army Blackhawk helicopter when it collided with an American Airlines jet was “very experienced” and were not new to the unit or the congested flying that occurs daily around Washington, D.C.
That is according to Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation.
“Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them,” Koziol said.
“Even the crew chief in the back has been in the unit for a very long time, very familiar with the area, very familiar with the routing structure.”
1:30 PM -- Local reaction to crash, Trump's comments
Mayor Eric Adams wrote on X that "Our entire nation is in mourning for the victims in last night's tragic crash near Washington, D.C."
"We will be praying for the families and communities impacted, and we’re profoundly thankful for the dedicated first responders on the scene," the mayor said.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York slammed Trump, saying spewing conspiracy theories about the crash “turns your stomach.”
“It’s one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracy theories, it’s another for the president of the United States,” Schumer said at the Capitol.
Schumer's remarks appear aimed at statements by Trump made Thursday. After opening a news conference with a moment of silence for the crash victims — Trump used much of his time at the podium to cast political blame, including on diversity initiatives at the FAA.
New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote that, "Blaming DEI for this horrific crash where 67 souls lost their lives is deeply offensive and racist."
"As a nation, we should be praying that those we lost rest in peace and praying for their families," James wrote on X.
1 PM -- Flights resume at Reagan National after deadly midair collision
Flights resumed at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside of Washington, D.C., shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday. But many flights had been canceled, and airport information boards were covered in red cancellation messages. Other flights were delayed until late morning or afternoon.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, who was sworn in earlier this week, was asked if he could reassure Americans that the United States still has the safest airspace in the world.
“Can I guarantee the American flying public that the United States has the most safe and secure airspace in the world? And the answer to that is, absolutely yes, we do,” he said.
12 PM -- Trump says he thinks FAA diversity hiring has hurt air safety
President Donald Trump suggested that the Federal Aviation Administration’s diversity efforts had made air travel less safe.
The president asserted his opinion even though the crash has yet to be fully investigated and there has been no determination as to whether the FAA did anything wrong.
Trump was speaking at the White House press briefing room after a fatal crash between a passenger airplane and Army helicopter on Wednesday night at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Trump also suggested he might make sweeping changes at federal aviation agencies. There could firings “if we find that people aren’t mentally competent.”
“For some jobs,” Trump said, singling out air traffic controllers. “They have to be at the highest level of genius.”
Trump blamed previous administrations’ efforts to promote diversity at federal agencies for contributing to the crash. Asked why he thought that was an issue what happened, he responded, “Because I have common sense.”
11:25 AM -- 'We are all heartbroken,' Trump says, confirming no survivors
President Donald Trump says there were no survivors after a passenger plane and an Army helicopter collided near a D.C.-area airport.
“As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly,” Trump said from the White House briefing room Thursday.
“Sadly, there are no survivors” of the crash, he said.
Trump said it was still not clear what led to the crash. He said the U.S. military and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
“We’ll find out how this disaster occurred and will ensure that nothing like this ever happens again," he said.
Trump then pivoted, suggesting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives at the Federal Aviation Administration under the Obama and Biden administrations had impacted the quality of air traffic controllers.
"We don't know necessarily it was the controller's fault," he went on to say. "But one thing we do know is there was a lot of vision. And people should have been able to see--at what point do you stop it, at what point do you say, 'that plane's getting a little close?' So this is a tragedy that should not have happened."
10 AM -- President Trump will speak on crash at 11 AM
President Donald Trump will speak from the White House at 11 a.m. on the crash.
The president will speak from the White House briefing.
9:30 AM -- Reagan Airport will reopen Thursday morning
Reagan Airport was to reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced. The FAA previously said it would be closed until 5 a.m. Friday.
All takeoffs and landings at the airport were halted Wednesday night after the crash.
8:45 AM -- CEO says American Airlines 'absolutely heartbroken' by crash
The CEO of American Airlines, Robert Isom, told reporters, "We're absolutely heartbroken for the family and loved ones of the passengers and crew members and also for those that were on the military aircraft."
In a video Wednesday night, Isom said, people who believe they may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, can call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215. Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers.
8:15 AM -- Transportation secretary says accident was 'absolutely' preventable
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.”
Duffy said that, prior to the collision, the plane and helicopter flight paths “were not unusual for what happens in the DC airspace”
“Everything was standard in the lead up to the crash. Obviously there was something that happened here,” Duffy said.
7:45 AM -- DC fire chief says 'we don't believe there are any survivors'
Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said they don't believe anyone survived the crash and that 28 bodies have been recovered so far.
"We are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," Donnelly said. "At this point we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident, and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter."
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, added, "The fuselage of the American Airlines plane was inverted. It’s been located in three different sections. It’s in about waist-deep water, so that recovery is going to go on today."
7:40 AM -- How the crash unfolded, according to flight data
The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair crash occurred before 9 p.m. EST when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter on a training flight while on approach to an airport runway.
American Airlines Flight 5342 was inbound to Reagan National at an altitude of about 400 feet and a speed of about 140 miles per hour when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River, according to data from its radio transponder.
A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National and the pilots said they were able. Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.” Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river.
Earth Cam video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.
7:30 AM -- Group of figure skaters and coaches were on the jet
Passengers on the jet included a group of figure skaters, their coaches and family members who were returning from a development camp held after the national U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.
The organization confirmed that “several members of the skating community” were on the flight. It did not provide more details.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the organization said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
The international governing body for figure skating said the global skating community was “deeply shocked” and heartbroken.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport — it’s a close-knit family — and we stand together,” the International Skating Union said in a statement.
7:15 AM -- Rescuers search in near freezing river water
Hundreds of rescuers were searching the frigid waters of the Potomac River overnight for any survivors of the plane crash.
Images showed boats around a partly submerged wing and what appeared to be the mangled wreckage of the plane’s fuselage.
Helicopters flew overhead with powerful search lights scanning the murky waters, while emergency vehicles lit up the banks of the Potomac in a long line of blinking red lights.
The water temperature was just above freezing.
7 AM -- It's not yet known if there were any survivors
Officials offered few details on the status of the victims as they concluded their early-morning press briefing Thursday.
“I can’t say anything about the rescue operation right now,” said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, as reporters continue to press for updates on the passengers.
She also declined to comment on the condition of aircraft, which remains submerged in the Potomac River.
Asked if there are any survivors, Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly, responded: “We don’t know yet. But we’re working."
1010 WINS contributed to this report.