DC plane crash updates: 55 victims recovered and positively identified

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

ByIvan Pereira, Meredith Deliso, and Emily Shapiro
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

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Jan 30, 2025, 9:48 AM EST

Helicopter appeared to be flying above mandated 200 feet

An early focus for investigators is the flight path of the helicopter, which appeared to be flying at about 350 feet -- above the mandated 200 feet, according to sources familiar with the operation.

PHOTO: Law enforcement are seen on a runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as rescue crews search the waters of the Potomac River after a passenger plane crashed into the river after colliding with a Army helicopter, Jan. 30, 2025.
Law enforcement are seen on a runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as rescue crews search the waters of the Potomac River after a passenger plane on approach to Reagan crashed into the river after colliding with a US Army helicopter, Jan. 30, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Another focus is communications between the helicopter and air traffic control and whether they were communicating as they should have been, sources said.

-ABC News’ Pierre Thomas and Aaron Katersky

Jan 30, 2025, 9:21 AM EST

Soldiers on helicopter had night vision goggles: Hegseth

The Army helicopter, which had three soldiers on board, was on an "annual proficiency training flight" at the time of the crash, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a video message.

"It was a fairly experienced crew that was doing a required annual night evaluation," Hegseth said. "They did have night vision goggles."

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth addresses the recent crash at Reagan International Airport, Jan. 30, 2025.
Department of Defense via Twitter

The crash happened on a clear night, officials said.

Officials are working to determine if the helicopter was "in the corridor and at the right altitude" at the time of the crash, Hegseth said.

"It's a tragedy," Hegseth said.

Jan 30, 2025, 9:07 AM EST

Debris found in DC, Maryland and Virginia

Debris from the crash has been found in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., sources told ABC News.

Piers and shoreline parks in the area -- including Daingerfield Island, Gravelly Point, Hains Point and the National Harbor -- have been closed to assist with recovery efforts.

-ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson

Jan 30, 2025, 8:56 AM EST

Black boxes not recovered

The black boxes from the American Airlines plane have not been recovered, a source with direct knowledge told ABC News.

PHOTO: Part of the wreckage is seen as rescue crews search the waters of the Potomac River after a passenger plane on approach to Reagan National Airport crashed into the river after colliding with a US Army helicopter, January 30, 2025.
Part of the wreckage is seen as rescue crews search the waters of the Potomac River after a passenger plane on approach to Reagan National Airport crashed into the river after colliding with a US Army helicopter, near Washington, DC, on January 30, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

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