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.
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
Trump intent on increasing staffing at air safety agencies
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."
Jan 31, 2025, 1:51 PM EST
White House: Investigation is ongoing into whether controller was DEI hire
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the investigation is ongoing into whether the controller was diversity, equity and inclusion hire.
This comes after President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed without evidence that DEI initiatives could be a factor in the crash.
A view of the air traffic control tower at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, in Arlington, Virginia, Jan. 31, 2025.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
DEI or any similar program does not apply to hiring for air traffic control, which requires rigorous health examinations and a multiyear training process. Applicants must pass a medical exam, an aptitude test and a psychological test that is more stringent than that required of a pilot, said Chris Wilbanks, FAA deputy vice president of safety and technical training.
Trump on Thursday pointed to a New York Post article as he accused Democrats of pushing to hire people with severe mental disabilities at the FAA. But the diversity language referenced in the article was on the FAA website during the entirety of Trump’s first term and has been on the site for more than a decade, according to Snopes.
The cause of the crash has not been determined.
Leavitt said Trump believes commercial flying "is still indeed safe, and Americans should feel safe."
"With that said, two things can be true at the same time, and we certainly have seen the deterioration of federal hiring standards at the Federal Aviation Administration," Leavitt said at a press briefing Friday. "And the president wants to increase those standards. He wants pilots in this country who have the great responsibility of flying American citizens by the tens of millions every single day, to be chosen for that position based on their merit and their skills. And so, the administration will continue to prioritize this."
Jan 31, 2025, 11:14 AM EST
Flight number 5342 will never be used again
American Airlines will retire the flight number 5342, the company said, which is standard action following major aviation incidents.
Rachel Sambrano holds her daughter Ariah Sambrano at a prayer vigil for victims of the plane crash of the American Eagle flight 5342, at Wichita City Hall, in Wichita, Kansas, Jan. 30, 2025.
Nick Oxford/Reuters
Jan 31, 2025, 10:26 AM EST
Recovery operation expected to last at least through the weekend
Recovery crews are now awaiting heavy machinery, including cranes, from the Army Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard and private contractors before they can extract additional victims, sources familiar with the operation told ABC News.
Recovery teams search the wreckage of a commercial airplane that collided with a military helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., Jan. 31 2025.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The hope is the equipment will be in position to begin raising pieces of the fuselage as soon as today, but the operation is expected to last at least through the weekend, sources said.
The bodies of plane victims are lodged beneath and inside the fuselage and cannot be accessed by divers, the sources said.
Search and rescue efforts are seen around a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Va.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
The body of one soldier has been recovered; the other two Black Hawk victims remain inside the helicopter, sources said.
Debris is being collected at a spot near the airport. Military debris is being sent to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.
