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 29, 2025, 10:44 PM EST

3 soldiers aboard the helicopter: Defense official

There were three Army soldiers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter, according to a defense official.

That would be the standard size of the crew for a helicopter of this type.

A U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flies along the coast, Nov. 8, 2024, in Laguna Beach, Calif.
Kevin Carter/Getty Images,FILES

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Jan 29, 2025, 10:44 PM EST

No senior Army leaders aboard the Black Hawk: Officials

No senior Army leaders aboard the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with the regional aircraft, a defense official with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Jan 29, 2025, 10:41 PM EST

Transportation secretary monitoring the incident from FAA HQ

Sean Duffy, who was confirmed as the secretary for the Department of Transportation on Tuesday, added a post acknowledging the crash on X.

In the post, he noted that he was posting from the headquarters for the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C.

Lights from emergency vehicles are seen at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, after an air crash near the Potomac River on Jan. 29, 2025.
WJLA

"I am on site at the FAA HQ and closely monitoring the situation," Duffy wrote.

Jan 29, 2025, 10:36 PM EST

Kansas governor addresses collision

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said she is "actively" in contact with authorities regarding the crash.

"My thoughts go out to those involved. I will share more information as it becomes available," she said on X.

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