DC plane crash updates: 55 victims recovered and positively identified

The Federal Aviation Administration is not giving permission for low-altitude helicopter routes around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the FAA told ABC News.

Helicopters can still fly into and out of the airport, but are restricted from flying specific river routes.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the "restrictions will remain in place until the NTSB completes its preliminary investigation" of the crash, "at which point it will be reviewed based on NTSB’s report."

The restricted area includes: over the top of Reagan; Haines Point to Wilson Bridge; and Memorial Bridge to South Capitol Street Bridge, excluding the Tidal Basin.

The restriction does not include "helicopters entering this airspace for lifesaving medical support, active law enforcement, active air defense, or presidential transport helicopter missions that must operate in this restricted area," the department added.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom thanked the Trump administration for its "quick and decisive action" to restrict helicopter activity around the airport.

"We are all hurting as we continue to grieve the loss of our passengers and team members," Isom said in a statement. "In the days ahead, we will work tirelessly with the Administration and leaders in Congress to make our aviation system even safer, including by increasing investments in infrastructure, technology and personnel."

-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney

Forty-one sets of remains have been recovered and 28 of those victims have been positively identified, Washington, D.C., Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly Sr. said at a news conference Friday.

Next of kin notifications had been made to 18 families as of 6 a.m. Friday, he said.

All 67 people on board the plane and the helicopter were killed in the Wednesday night crash.

Donnelly said crews expect to recover all of the bodies.

It appears crews will need to remove the plane fuselage from the river to recover the remaining victims, he said.

Salvage work on removing aircraft from the water will start as early as Saturday, he said.

Fire and EMS has received 911 calls from people who spotted debris in the water; body parts have not been recovered from those 911 calls, he added.

-ABC News' Jeff Cook

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has 25 Certified Professional Controllers as well as three Certified Professional Controllers in Training who have been fully certified at other facilities. The tower is authorized to have 28 controllers.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump is "intent on ensuring that we are increasing staffing" at air safety agencies, despite the administration trying to cut the federal workforce and offering buyouts to workers.

"That's why he signed a very strong executive order on his second day in office, immediately terminating DEI hiring practices at the FAA," Leavitt said. "He also, following the tragic crash, as you all know, in the Oval Office yesterday signed a memorandum, directing an immediate assessment of the FAA to ensure the federal government is maintaining the highest personnel and aviation safety standards."