sb.scorecardresearch

Election Delhi 2025 in association with

Camlin

Published 07:34 IST, January 31st 2025

All 67 Killed in Midair Crash Near Washington in Deadliest US Air Disaster, Black Box Recovered

A collision in midair between a US Army helicopter and an American Airlines plane resulted in the deaths of all 67 people on board both aircraft, officials said

Reported by: Digital Desk
Edited by: Tanisha Rajput
Follow: Google News Icon
  • share
Washington DC Plane Crash
Washington DC Plane Crash | Image: AP

Washington: All 67 people aboard a US Black Hawk Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane were killed in a midair collision, officials reported Thursday. Investigations are now underway into the actions in the deadliest aviation disaster in the United States in nearly 25 years. As of now, 28 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter flew into the path of the regional jet late Wednesday while it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport. The plane carried 60 passengers, four crew members, and three soldiers were aboard the helicopter. Investigations are underway into the actions of the military pilot in what is the deadliest aviation disaster in the country in nearly 25 years.

Washington DC Plane Crash: No One Survived, Says Trump

US President Donald Trump late Thursday in a press conference said that "no one survived" in the mid-air collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter. He opened the news conference with a moment of silence honouring the crash victims, calling it an “hour of anguish” for the country.

The president assured that the investigation is underway to find out the cause of the incident.

"We think we have some pretty good ideas, but we'll find out how this disaster occurred, and we'll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. The FAA and the NTSB and the US military will be carrying out a systematic and comprehensive investigation," he said.

Trump Blames Air Traffic Controllers, Pilots & Biden

Without any evidence, Trump during the brief at the White House blamed air traffic controllers, helicopter pilots and Democratic policies at federal agencies. He claimed that the FAA was “actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative.”

"You had a pilot problem from the standpoint of the helicopter."

"It was very clear night, it was cold, but clear and clear as you could be the American Airlines plane had lights blazing, they had all their landing lights on. You had a helicopter that had the ability to stop, I have helicopters. You can stop a helicopter very quickly. It had the ability to go up or down and had the ability to turn. And the turn it made was not the correct turn, obviously. And it did, somewhat, the opposite of what it was told," he said.

Trump suggested that he might make some sweeping changed at the federal aviation level, and there could be firings “if we find that people aren’t mentally competent.”

He also spent most of his time casting political blame, lashing out at former President Joe Biden ’s administration and diversity efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration, saying they had led to slipping standards — even as he acknowledged that the cause of the crash was unknown.

What Led to The Crash?

There was no immediate word on the cause of the Wednesday collision, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport were halted as dive teams scoured the site and helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in a methodical search for bodies.

Images from the river showed boats around the partly submerged wing and what appeared to be the mangled wreckage of the plane's fuselage.

Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said, “When one person dies it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die it’s an unbearable sorrow.”  

Who Were The Passengers?

Passengers on the flight included a group of figure skaters, their coaches and family members who were returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.

Two of those coaches were identified by the Kremlin as Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 World Championships and competed twice in the Olympics. The Skating Club of Boston lists them as coaches and their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skater for the U.S.

What Happened ‘30 Seconds’ Before The Collision?

A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National and the pilots said they were able. Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.” Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.

The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river.

(Inputs from AP)

Updated 07:34 IST, January 31st 2025