DC plane crash updates: 55 victims recovered and positively identified

All 67 people on board the plane and the helicopter were killed.

Last Updated: February 2, 2025, 4:59 PM EST

An American Airlines regional jet went down in the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after colliding with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, with no survivors.

Sixty-four people were on board the plane, which departed from Wichita, Kansas. Three soldiers were on the helicopter.

The collision happened around 9 p.m. when the PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet was on approach to the airport.

Map of the area around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the layout of Runway 33, which the regional American Airlines jet was approaching at the time of the collision with the Army Black Hawk helicopter, according to officials.
ABC News, Google Earth, Flightradar24, ADS-B Exchange
Jan 30, 2025, 6:52 PM EST

Black boxes from American Airlines plane recovered: Source

The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder -- known as black boxes -- from the American Airlines plane have been recovered and are en route to the National Transportation Safety Board lab, per a source with direct knowledge.

-ABC News' Sam Sweeney

Jan 30, 2025, 6:09 PM EST

Wichita to DC service set to resume Friday evening

American Airlines' Wichita to DCA direct flight service, which operates once a day, marked its one-year anniversary earlier this month before Wednesday's deadly midair collision.

Wichita airport officials say the service, which was canceled this evening in the wake of the crash, is scheduled to resume Friday evening.

-ABC News' Mola Lenghi

Jan 30, 2025, 6:00 PM EST

Flight manifest may be made public by Friday: Kansas governor

A flight manifest from American Airlines flight 5342 may be made public by Friday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly told reporters during a briefing, based on her conversations with the airline.

This process has been delayed while the airline notifies all victims' next of kin, including ones who live overseas, she said.

At this point, it's unclear how many victims were from Kansas, according to Wichita Mayor Lily Wu. One family arrived at Wichita's Eisenhower National Airport last night seeking information about their loved one on the flight, though so far no other families here in Wichita have reached out to her office, she said during Thursday's briefing.

-ABC News' Mola Lenghi

Jan 30, 2025, 5:41 PM EST

Man whose son and wife died in crash speaks out

Spencer Lane, 16, and his mother, Christine Lane, 49, were among the passengers on the American Airlines flight when it crashed on Wednesday.

They were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, and were among six victims -- including two coaches, two teenage athletes and two moms of athletes -- from the Skating Club of Boston, the organization said.

Spencer Lane's father, Doug Lane, remembered his son as a "force of nature."

Spencer Lane is seen in this undated photo.
The Skating Club of Boston

"He just had amazing athletic abilities," Doug Lane told ABC Boston affiliate WCVB. "If he was like, 'hey, that's interesting to me,' you couldn't stop him. And figure skating is, I think, the best example of that."

The teen decided to try skating three years ago after seeing Nathan Chen in the Olympics and "committed himself to it," his dad said.

Doug Lane remembered his wife as a "beautiful, creative person" who had many talents, including quilting, and volunteered at a local animal rescue. She loved being a mother to their two sons, who were both adopted from South Korea, he said.

"[She would] do everything for her children, including fly to Wichita, Kansas, for a week," he said. "She just gave parenting her all."

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