President Donald Trump said the information about the helicopter's training will come up during the investigation about the mishap.

"The helicopter was in the wrong place at the wrong time and a tragedy occurred," he says.

The president says the helicopter was "practising, and that's something that should be done".

"It was a practice that worked out very, very badly," he adds.

Trump's remarks have ignited a heated debate about the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

US President Donald Trump on Thursday blamed diversity policies under Barack Obama and Joe Biden for poor safety standards after a deadly crash in which a military helicopter collided with a passenger plane over Washington.

"I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first," Trump said. "They actually came out with a directive: 'too white.' And we want the people that are competent."

(Via AFP)

Trump says that he believes that people working in air traffic control should be of the highest intelligence, that it's a job that requires the highest standards.

He points to one of the executive orders he signed upon taking office last week, which he says "restored standards" for air traffic controllers and others.

(Via BBC)

President Donald Trump says that Barack Obama hired "mediocre" staff for air control jobs that require "superior intelligence". He also added that Biden changed them back putting "politics at a level that nobody has ever seen".

He highlighted the grave situation, that a commercial American Airlines plane and military Black Hawk helicopter crashed and submerged into the Potomac River.

"This has really shaken a lot of people, including people very sadly, from other nations," he says.

President Donald Trump says that he would like to take a moment of silence for the victims and their families. He then observes silence.

US President Donald Trump will hold a news briefing Thursday on the mid-air crash between a passenger jet and a military helicopter in Washington, the White House said.

There are no survivors in the midair collision between a US Army Blackhawk helicopter and a passenger jet in Washington DC, a fire official said.

More than 60 people were feared dead after an American Airlines regional passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the frigid Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport. 

"At this point we do not believe there were any survivors," District of Columbia fire chief John Donnelly said at a Thursday press conference at the airport.

(Reuters)

The crash between a passenger jet and army helicopter over Washington that is feared to have killed all aboard both aircraft was "absolutely" preventable, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday.

"Do I think this was preventable? Absolutely," Duffy told a news conference where authorities said the Wednesday night collision occurred in clear weather conditions.

(AFP)

The close-knit world of figure skating was in mourning on Thursday after a passenger jet carrying athletes and coaches, including former Russian world pairs champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, crashed into Washington's Potomac River.

The plane carrying 64 collided midair with a military helicopter as it was approaching Reagan National Airport in Washington DC on Wednesday evening, plunging into the freezing river.

Several members of the US figure skating community were also passengers, the sport's national governing body confirmed.

(AFP)

Emergency response units search the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed on approach to Reagan National Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.

 (Credit: AFP)

"We are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point I don't believe we are going to find any survivors," Fire and EMS Chief Fire John Donnelly said in a news conference this morning.

At least 28 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of last night’s crash, he confirmed. 

Of those, 27 were from the American Eagle civilian jet and one from the U.S. Black Hawk helicopter.

(Credit: NBC)

Air traffic controllers warned a US Army helicopter it was on course to collide with a passenger jet, with audio captured from the deadly accident ending in audible gasps from those in the control room.

In a deadly mid-air collision Wednesday night, the helicopter struck the Bombardier plane operated by an American Airlines subsidiary as it was approaching for landing at Reagan National Airport.

After a "fireball" explosion, both aircraft shot into the icy Potomac River.

(AFP)

Officials don't 'believe there are any survivors' in Washington plane crash: fire chief

(AFP)

A helicopter flies near the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed on approach to Reagan National Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.

(AFP)

The U.S. Black Hawk helicopter that collided with American Eagle Flight 5342 was performing a training mission at the time, according to Ron McLendon II, the Public Affairs Deputy Director for Joint Task Force-National Capital Region/Military District of Washington.

(Credit: NBC)

Citing local sources, CBS News said at least 18 bodies had been recovered, while NBC reported more than a dozen.

US Figure Skating said several athletes, coaches and officials were aboard the flight, while officials in Moscow confirmed married Russian couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov -- who won the 1994 world pairs title -- were on the jet.

"We unfortunately see that these sad reports are being confirmed. Our other fellow citizens were there," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. 

(AFP)

The collision "should have been avoided," President Donald Trump said on social media.

"The plane was on a perfect approach path to the airport. The helicopter was heading directly toward the plane for some time. The night was clear, the lights of the plane were visible, why didn't the helicopter climb or descend, or make a turn?" he wrote.

"Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane? This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!"

The Kremlin on Thursday expressed its condolences to the families of Russian citizens who lost their lives in the American Airlines plane crash in Washington on Wednesday night.

Russian ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the plane that crashed into the Potomac River after a midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport.

When asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin planned to offer condolences to U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call, Peskov said there were no plans for high-level contacts for now.

The same airport was the scene of a deadly crash in January 1982 when Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737, took off but quickly plummeted, hitting the 14th Street bridge and crashing through the ice into the Potomac River. Seventy-eight people died.

Investigators concluded the pilot had failed to activate sufficient de-icing procedures.

The last major fatal US air accident was in 2009, when Continental Flight 3407 from New Jersey to Buffalo, New York crashed and killed all 49 people aboard.

(AFP)

Multiple bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River in Washington after the collision between a passenger jet and military helicopter, US media reported Thursday.

CBS News, quoting a police official, said "at least 18 bodies were recovered", while NBC said "more than a dozen" had been found, citing two sources familiar.

(AFP)

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday voiced support for the United States and praised rescue teams after the "shocking" collision of a US passenger jet with a helicopter in Washington.

"Our condolences to the victims' families and loved ones. Our words of support go out to President Trump and the American people during this tragic time," Zelensky said in a post on social media.

(Credit:AFP)

An American Airlines regional passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the frigid Potomac River after a midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, officials said.

Several members of the US figure skating community were aboard the passenger jet that crashed in Washington.

A newly surfaced photo shows the wreckage of PSA America Airlines Flight 5342, which plunged into the Potomac River earlier tonight while attempting to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in DC.(Credit AFP)

CBS News, citing a police official, said at least 18 bodies had been recovered. Two sources told Reuters multiple bodies had been pulled from the water.

The midair collision occurred as the passenger jet, traveling from Wichita in Kansas, was on approach to land at Reagan. Radio communications between the air traffic control tower and the Black Hawk showed the helicopter crew knew the plane was in the vicinity.

The Pentagon said it was launching an investigation.

Russian world figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among the passengers on the American Eagle flight that crashed in Washington on Wednesday, reported RT.

Scores of people were feared dead after an American Airlines regional passenger jet with 64 people on board and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided and crashed into the frigid Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport.

Officials did not provide a death toll from Wednesday night's collision but U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, where the flight originated, suggested most if not all those on board had been killed.

"It's really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously," he told a press conference at Reagan airport in the nation's capital early on Thursday.

"When one person dies, it's a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it's an unbearable sorrow. It's a heartbreak beyond measure."

A US passenger jet carrying 64 people crashed into the Potomac River after a midair collision with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter during a nighttime training exercise.

The national US body for figure skating said on Wednesday that several members of their skating community were on the regional jet that crashed after a midair collision with a helicopter near Washington, D.C.

“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” US Figure Skating said in a statement.

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” it said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”

Three US Army soldiers were onboard a BlackHawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines regional jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a US official said on Wednesday.

A jet from the US state of Kansas, carrying around 60 passengers, crashed into Washington's Potomac River after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday.

Washington DC’s Fire Chief John A Donnelly Sr said that all search-and-rescue efforts taking place right now are in the water and that conditions are “dangerous.”

“The challenges are access. The water that we’re operating in is about 8 feet deep, there is wind, there is pieces of ice out there so it’s just dangerous and hard to work in,” Donnelly said according to a CNN report.

“The water is dark, it is murky, and that is a very tough condition for them to dive in,' he added.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the crash between a US Army helicopter and a passenger jet near Washington "should have been prevented."

A web camera shot from the Kennedy Center in Washington showed an explosion mid-air across the Potomac about 8:47 p.m. (0147 GMT) with an aircraft in flames falling rapidly.

PSA was operating Flight 5342 for American Airlines, according to the FAA.

"We're cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can," American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a video statement.

Dozens of police, ambulance and rescue units, some ferrying boats, staged along the river and raced to positions along the tarmac of Reagan airport. Live TV images showed several boats in the water, flashing blue and red lights.

At least 18 bodies have reportedly been recovered from the Potomac River after an American Airlines regional jet with 64 people on board collided mid-air with a military helicopter last night in Washington, just five kilometres from the White House.

The wrecked fuselages of both the US military helicopter and the commercial jet involved in a collision over the Potomac River are lying in the water, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser told a press briefing early Thursday.

Search efforts by an estimated 300 responding personnel including divers were impeded by the "very dark, very murky" water at near-frigid temperatures, added Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly.

Responders conducting search and rescue operations were facing "extremely rough" conditions in the Potomac River after a passenger jet and US military helicopter collided midair, an official said early Thursday.

High winds, low night-time visibility, cold weather and murky water were combining to make "a very tough condition to dive in" as roughly 300 emergency responders searched the Potomac for any survivors of the crash, Washington fire chief John Donnelly told reporters at Reagan National Airport. 

The midair collision occurred as the passenger jet en route from Wichita, Kansas was on approach to land at Reagan. Radio communications between the air traffic control tower and the Black Hawk show that the helicopter crew were aware that the plane was nearby vicinity.

Air traffic control recordings appear to capture the final attempted communications with the helicopter, callsign PAT25, before it collides with the plane, described as CRJ.

"PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ," an air traffic controller says at 8:47 p.m. (0147 GMT), according to a recording on liveatc.net.

Seconds later, another aircraft calls in to air traffic control, saying, "Tower, did you see that?" - apparently referring to the crash. An air traffic controller then redirects planes heading to runway 33 to go around.

An American Airlines regional passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the frigid Potomac River after a midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, officials said. 

UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter: The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is one of the most ubiquitous and iconic military helicopters, filling multiple roles for the U.S. military, including air assault, general support, medevac, command and control, and special operations support.

The aircraft involved in the Jan. 29 crash was flying with the call sign PAT25 and had three occupants, according to the Aviation Safety Network, a public database of aviation accidents. More than 5,000 Black Hawks have been built since production began in the mid-1970s.

Bombardier CRJ700: The Bombardier CRJ700, which can seat about 70 people, is a workhorse of regional commercial aviation. There are about 260 of the aircraft in service, according to Cirium, an aviation data company.

The plane in the Jan. 29 crash was registered N530EA and manufactured in 2010, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. There were 60 passengers and four crew members onboard, American Airlines said. The jet was registered to American Airlines but operated by its wholly owned subsidiary, PSA Airlines. Bombardier sold the CRJ700 program to a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries subsidiary in 2019. Production of new aircraft ceased in 2020. 

The American Eagle Flight 5342 was on its way from Kansas to Washington DC with 60 passengers and four crew members, the airline said. The Blackhawk helicopter was on a training flight with three soldiers, but there was no senior official on board, said officials.

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) said the flight, operated by PSA airlines, collided with Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter while approaching the airport for landing around 9 pm local time (0200 GMT).

Visuals showed the night sky lit up with what appeared like a massive firework as the plane and the helicopter came crashing down into the Potomac River in Washington.

Local media reports say cops have recovered at least 18 bodies from Potomac as divers search for more bodies amid "extremely rough" conditions in the river.

The number of casualties is not yet known, According to a Washington Post report, police have pulled multiple bodies from the water.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed early Thursday that “both aircraft are in the water,” and that 64 people were aboard the American Airlines plane and three were in the military helicopter.

“The focus now is rescuing people, and that’s what all of our personnel are focused on,” CNN reported Bowser as saying.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on X that the Pentagon and the Army are investigating the crash.

Hegseth wrote that the investigation was “launched immediately.” 

“Absolutely tragic. Search and rescue efforts still ongoing. Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families,” he added. 

Questions were expected to focus on how a passenger plane with modern collision-avoidance technology and nearby traffic controllers could collide with a military aircraft over America's capital.

The airspace around Washington is often crowded, with planes coming in low over the city to land at Reagan airport and helicopters -- military, civilian and carrying senior politicians -- buzzing about both day and night.

The same airport was the scene of a deadly crash in January 1982 when Air Florida flight 90, a Boeing 737, took off but quickly plummeted, hitting the 14th Street bridge and crashing through the ice into the Potomac River. 78 people died. Investigators concluded the pilot had failed to activate sufficient de-icing procedures.

The last major fatal US crash was in 2009, when Continental Flight 3407 from New Jersey to Buffalo, New York crashed and killed all 49 people aboard.
(Credit AFP)

The FAA said a Bombardier regional jet operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines "collided in midair" with a Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter as it approached for landing at Reagan at around 9:00 pm (0200 GMT). The plane had left from Wichita, Kansas.

US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said on X the collision was "nothing short of a nightmare."

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of all planes at Reagan National, and Washington's police said on X that "multiple agencies" were responding to the crash site in the Potomac.

Kristi Noem, the country's new secretary of homeland security, posted on X that she was "deploying every available US Coast Guard resource for search and rescue efforts in this horrific incident at DCA."

Police said fireboats had joined the operation on the river, where any work was complicated by the fact it was dark and close to freezing. Dozens of fire trucks headed toward the airport.

Witness Ari Schulman described "a stream of sparks" and what looked like a large firework when the collision erupted overhead as he drove home.

"Initially I saw the plane and it looked fine, normal. It was right about to head over land," he told CNN. 

"Three seconds later, and at that point it was banked all the way to the right... I could see the underside of it, it was lit up a very bright yellow, and there was a stream of sparks underneath it," Schulman added. "It looked like a Roman candle."

An American Airlines passenger jet collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night.

Reagan National Airport will remain closed until at least Friday at 5 AM, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Around 9 p.m. on Wednesday evening, emergency personnel at Reagan National Airport initiated their response to a crash between a passenger aircraft, identified by the FAA as American Eagle flight 5342, and a Sikorsky helicopter. Mutual aid from neighbouring agencies were called to assist, and takeoffs and landings at the airport were halted for the remainder of the evening,” FAA said in a statement. 

“We will continue to post information as it becomes available," it added.

Air traffic controller audio captured the moment the air traffic control operators asked the helicopter if the commercial flight operated by PSA Airlines was in sight.

Citing data LiveATC.net, CNN reported that an air traffic controller said, “PAT 2-5 do you have the CRJ in sight?”

The controller then said, “PAT 2-5 pass behind the CRJ.”

The audio then captured audible gasps, including a loud “oooh” in the background apparently from the tower, at the moment of the crash.

The tower then alerted another pilot of what had taken place.

“I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach end of 3-3. We are going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future if you want to go back to the gate. Highly suggest you guys coordinate with the company. Let me know what you want to do,” the controller says, referencing runway 33.

The audio also revealed that another pilot had seen the incident and confirmed with an air traffic controller.

Two near-collision of aircrafts were reported at Reagan National Airport last year that which resulted in FAA investigations, according to a NBC report.

Two planes narrowly avoided each other on the runway in May, the FAA said at the time. One had been cleared for takeoff, and the other had been cleared to land on a cross-runway.

In April, two planes on the ground nearly collided. No collisions happened in either incident, and there were no injuries.

The US Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in Wednesday's crash near Washington was on "a training flight" when it collided midair with a passenger jet, a military spokesman said. 

The confirmation by a public affairs official was posted on X by new US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who himself described the accident as "absolutely tragic" and said search and rescue efforts were "still ongoing."

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the crash between a US Army helicopter and a passenger jet near Washington "should have been prevented."

"Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding: "NOT GOOD!!!"

The chief executive of American Airlines expressed "deep sorrow" after one of its aircraft crashed following a collision with a military helicopter over the US capital late Wednesday.

"I'd like to express our deep sorrow about these events," said CEO Robert Isom in a video statement, adding: "This is a difficult day for all of us."

The FBI is assisting local agencies in search and rescue operation following the plane crash in Washington DC.

“The FBI Washington Field Office’s National Capital Response Squad is responding to an aviation incident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in support of our law enforcement and public safety partners," the Washington field office said in a statement.

US Army Black Hawk helicopter, which crashed into the Potomac River after a midair collision with a passenger jet,  was on a routine flight, NBC reported quoting a defence official and an Army official.

PSA Airlines, an American regional airline passenger jet collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, near Reagan Washington Airport. The jet crashed into the Potomac River, which borders the airport.

Three U.S. Army soldiers were onboard a BlackHawk helicopter that collided with a passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a statement that he had been "fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport."

"May God bless their souls," he added. "Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise."

The US passenger plane carrying 64 people broke into two pieces, NBC Washington reported quoting law enforcement and emergency sources. 

As per the report, the plane is in roughly 7 feet of water, and the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter is upside down in the water. Divers are in the water, pulling out bodies.

At least 18 bodies have reportedly been recovered from the Potomac River after an American Airlines regional jet with 64 people on board collided mid-air with a military helicopter last night in Washington, just five kilometres from the White House.

A jet from the US state of Kansas, carrying around 60 passengers, crashed into Washington's Potomac River after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday.

Three US Army soldiers were onboard a BlackHawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines regional jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a US official said on Wednesday.