No one is believed to have survived after a plane and helicopter crashed in mid-air over Washington DC’s Potomac River, late on Wednesday.
Sixty-four people were on the American Airlines flight, and three were on the military helicopter when the aircraft collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Emergency services chief John Donnelly says 28 bodies have been found so far.
The collision happened on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9pm local time, the FAA says in a statement to CBS News.
The flight, operated by PSA, had been traveling from Wichita, Kansas, and was on approach and seconds away from landing when the crash happened.
"We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we do not believe there are any survivors."
The D.C Fire and EMS Chief says 27 people from the plane and 1 from the helicopter have been recovered. pic.twitter.com/GsZLbNYftB
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 30, 2025
Russian ice skating athletes among the victims
The Russian-born ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among at least 13 senior skaters and coaches on board the American Airlines plane, according to the Kremlin and multiple Russian news outlets.
Shishkova and Naumov, who were married to each other, won the world championships in pairs figure skating in 1994 and had reportedly lived in the United States since at least 1998, where they trained young ice skaters. The couple was reported to have been returning from the competition and traveling with a group of young skaters.
CNN says Officials are preparing for this to be the deadliest disaster in DC in decades since an Air Florida Flight crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, connecting Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, DC, in 1982.
President Donald Trump has issued a statement calling it a “terrible accident” and has thanked emergency workers for their efforts.
Air traffic audio captures plane crash in Washington DC
Air traffic controller audio obtained by CNN from LiveATC.net captures the moment the air traffic control operators ask the helicopter if the commercial flight operated by PSA Airlines is in sight.
An air traffic controller said, “PAT 2-5 do you have the CRJ in sight?”
The controller then said, “PAT 2-5 pass behind the CRJ.”
The audio then captured audible gasps, including a loud “oooh” in the background apparently from the tower, at the moment of the crash.
The tower then alerted another pilot as to what had taken place.
“I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach end of 3-3. We are going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future if you want to go back to the gate. Highly suggest you guys coordinate with the company. Let me know what you want to do,” the controller says, referencing runway 33.
The audio also revealed that another pilot had seen the incident and confirmed with an air traffic controller.
Another pilot could be heard saying, “Yeah, we were on short final, and we saw flares from the opposite side of the Potomac.”
An approach controller later said, “Apparently both aircraft involved are in the river, a search and rescue will be ongoing.”
A number of other aircraft made plans to divert to other airports following the incident as flights at DCA were halted.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
