DC plane crash latest updates: Crews work to find remaining victims as investigators recover black boxes

Crews are continuing their efforts to recover the remaining victims from the Potomac River after an American Airlines jet collided with the U.S. military helicopter in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night, killing 67 people.

As of Friday morning, 41 bodies have been recovered, officials said. A civil rights attorney, teenage ice skating stars, their parents, and a soon-to-be-married pilot are among those killed in the crash.

Investigators are also working to piece together what led up to the deadly collision.

Both black boxes have been recovered from the American Airlines plane. The plane’s cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder have been taken for lab analysis, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday night. The information on the black boxes could shed light on the final moments of the ill-fated flight.

While the cause of the fatal collision is still under investigation, a report revealed that an air traffic controller was given the job of two people after one worker clocked off early, according to a report.

Airplane and helicopter traffic is normally handled by two separate controllers until 9:30 p.m., but a supervisor allegedly merged the two jobs before the allotted changeover time, a source told The New York Times. A preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report concluded that staffing levels were “not normal” at the time.

Key Points

• Air traffic controller ‘left shift early’ leaving another to ‘work two jobs’

• Victims of Washington DC plane crash named

• Two ‘black boxes’ recovered from American Airlines jet

• No survivors among 67 passengers and crew expected, D.C. Fire and EMS chief says

• Skating Club of Boston members among victims

Tracked: American Airlines plane collides with US Army helicopter near DC airport

17:19 , Kelly Rissman

Kansas biology teacher among the victims

17:15 , Kelly Rissman

Lindsey Fields, a Kansas biology professor, lost her life in the fatal collision, according to the National Association of Biology Teachers.

“Lindsey was traveling to represent the NABT community and advocate for excellence in life science education. This is a tremendous loss. Please keep Lindsey, the other victims, and their families in your hearts. We also ask that you respect the privacy of her loved ones at this time.”

Butler Community College also shared a statement with the Butler County Times Gazette: “With broken hearts we send our condolences to her family and friends, and the students, faculty and staff whom we know without a doubt were positively impacted by Lindsey’s energy and dedication to her craft.”

“Lindsey was a colleague, friend, and educator who dedicated her wisdom and talents to changing students’ lives every day. We owe her much gratitude for sharing her light with us and we will forever feel this loss. We send much love and support to her family and friends during this most difficult time,” the statement read.

WATCH: Moment air traffic control gasps as American Airlines plane and US military chopper collide

17:00 , Kelly Rissman

16:45 , Kelly Rissman

Speaking on Fox News Friday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he believed there was a staffing shortage among air traffic controllers at the time of the collision, but the investigation will reveal more.

He then echoed Trump’s finger-pointing at the FAA’s DEI policies.

“The environment around which we choose pilots and air traffic controllers, as the president pointed out correctly yesterday, better be the highest possible standard. The best of the best,” he said.

“I don’t care what background they come from, what their race is, what their gender is, if they’re rich or they’re poor. I just need them to be good at their job because I need my flight to land safely,” Hegseth continued.

According to data reviewed by Axios, most air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists were white men.

Here’s the full clip:

Former FAA air traffic manager defends controllers after Trump’s DEI digs

16:40 , Kelly Rissman

The air traffic control profession is a “meritocracy,” Michael McCormick, a former FAA air traffic manager, told CNN Friday.

“Only the best can go through the rigorous selection program, the screening program and then one-to-five-year training program prior to receiving their certification,” he said.

McCormick defended air traffic controllers after President Donald Trump linked the federal agency’s DEI policies to the collision.

In photos: Wreckage along the Potomac, days after tragedy

16:30 , Kelly Rissman

Young civil rights attorney and former beauty pageant winner is among victims

16:15 , Rhian Lubin, Tara Cobham and Alex Croft

Kiah Duggins, who was on her way home to Washington, D.C., from Kansas, worked as an attorney for the Civil Rights Corps.

Friends described her as “a brave and beautiful soul, a light in the fight for civil rights.”

The 30-year-old had been in Wichita to be with her mother during a surgical procedure, according to KMUW. Duggins’ family members confirmed to the outlet on Thursday that she was aboard the flight.

Her father, Maurice Duggins, said in a statement: “We are coming to terms with the grief associated with the loss of our beautiful and accomplished firstborn. Please respect our family’s privacy at this time.”

Duggins was a former Miss Kansas contestant and was placed in the top 10 of the Miss Butler County 2014 – 2015 pageant.

Hundreds of thousands of donations have poured in to assist with funeral costs, expenses

15:46 , Kelly Rissman

Loved ones of some of the D.C. plane crash victims created four verified GoFundMe pages in the wake of the tragedy.

The funds will go toward the funeral expenses and families of those whose lives were lost in the fatal collision: Casey Crafton, Wendy Jo Shaffer, Mikey Stovall, and Brielle and Justyna Beyer.

You can find those fundraisers here: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/help-dc-plane-crash

Helicopter flights near Reagan Airport restricted indefinitely: report

15:43 , Kelly Rissman

The Federal Aviation Administration is indefinitely limiting helicopter flights near Reagan National Airport, Reuters reported.

The restrictions, which will be in place “for the foreseeable future,” include helicopter routes 1 and 4 at the airport, according to the outlet.

The federal agency will also only permit police and medical helicopters in the area between the airport and nearby bridges.

Both black boxes from the American Airlines plane have been recovered — but what are they?

15:30 , Tim Hepher

The name is a misnomer; they are not actually black but high-visibility orange. Experts disagree how the nickname originated but it has become synonymous with the quest for answers when planes crash.

Many historians attribute their invention to Australian scientist David Warren in the 1950s. Earliest devices recorded limited data on wire or foil. Later devices switched to magnetic tape. Modern ones use computer chips inside hard casings.

There are two recorders: a Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) for pilot voices or cockpit sounds, and a separate Flight Data Recorder (FDR). Some devices combine both functions.

They are mandatory on civil flights and the aim is to preserve clues from cockpit sounds and data to help prevent future accidents, but not to determine wrongdoing or liability.

In broad terms, investigators say the FDR helps them analyze what happened and the CVR can – though not always – start to explain why. But experts caution that no two probes are the same and virtually all accidents involve multiple factors.

The disappearance in 2014 of Malaysian Airlines MH370 triggered debate about whether data should be streamed instead.

Staffing at air traffic control tower ‘not normal’ during collision: report

15:15 , Kelly Rissman

Air traffic control staffing at Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” on Wednesday night when a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet collided mid-air, according to a new report.

The air traffic controller who was monitoring helicopters near the airport on Wednesday evening was also monitoring planes taking off and landing, according to the FAA report reviewed by The New York Times. These jobs are typically assigned to two different people, the outlet reported.

The airport’s air traffic control tower had been understaffed for years, according to the Times, with just 19 fully certified controllers as of September 2023 despite targets set by the FAA for 30 controllers.

Katie Hawkinson has the details.

Air traffic control staffing ‘not normal’ during D.C. plane crash, FAA report reveals

Who was on the Black Hawk military helicopter?

15:00 , Mike Bedigan, Alex Croft, Rhian Lubin

Three U.S. Army soldiers were onboard the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the collision, a U.S. official has confirmed. Their names have not been officially released.

Another official said the Army UH-60 helicopter involved in the crash was based out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It was later confirmed that the aircraft and its crew were on a training flight.

The crew chief of the helicopter was later identified as Ryan O’Hara.

“Ryan is fondly remembered as a guy who would fix things around the ROTC gym as well as a vital member of the Rifle Team. Ryan leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old son,” the Parkview High School JROTC in Georgia wrote on Facebook.

In a statement shared on X, Georgia governor Brian Kemp paid tribute to both Lilley and O’Hara and sent his “deepest condolences” to their families and friends.

Andrew Eaves was also on the army helicopter, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said on X.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Eaves’ wife, Carrie Eaves said: “We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today. We ask for peace while we grieve,” the post read.

“These families’ children do not need to suffer more pain,” she wrote.

WATCH: What we know about victims of Washington DC plane crash

14:45 , Kelly Rissman

Hero pilot Captain Sully Sullenberger weighs in on crash

14:30 , Kelly Rissman

Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who famously landed a commercial airline on the Hudson River over a decade ago, has weighed in on the disastrous DC plane crash.

On Wednesday night, an American Airlines regional jet was on the final approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., when it collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter shortly before 9 p.m. ET, before plunging into the Potomac River claiming the lives of 67 people.

“We’ve had to learn important lessons literally with blood too often, and we had finally gotten beyond that, to where we could learn from incidents and not accidents,” Captain Sullenberger told The New York Times in an interview.

Madeline Sherratt has the story.

Hero pilot Captain Sully Sullenberger weighs in on DC American Airlines crash

Trump bashed the FAA’s diversity program that launched during his first term

14:20 , Kelly Rissman

The diversity program at the FAA that President Trump slammed Thursday was created under his presidency, the Washington Post first reported.

A release from April 2019 on the federal agency’s website reads: “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced a pilot program to help prepare people with disabilities for careers in air traffic operations.A key focus for the FAA’s Office of Civil Rights is to identify specific opportunities for people with targeted disabilities, empower them and facilitate their entry into a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

“The “targeted disabilities” link is now broken but Wayback Machine from before and after his term shows the list of medical conditions he read yesterday.

The targeted disabilities are:

• Hearing (total deafness in both ears)

• Vision (Blind)

• Missing Extremities

• Partial Paralysis

• Complete Paralysis, Epilepsy

• Severe intellectual disability

• Psychiatric disability

• Dwarfism

“Individuals with targeted disabilities have the greatest difficulty obtaining employment. This is the only protected group for which Federal agencies may have a hiring goal,” the FAA website reads.

ICYMI: Black boxes have been recovered, NTSB says

14:10 , Kelly Rissman

Divers face bleak weather as search and rescue response continues

13:45 , James Liddell

Search and rescue teams will have to brave chilly, murky waters, along with cold winds and rain as they comb through the Potomac River today.

According to the National Weather Service, gusts may pick up to 25 mph, while the chance of precipitation remains at 100 percent.

There will likely be patchy fog in the late morning until the early afternoon, the agency said.

Ground stop at Reagan National, days after deadly collision

13:35 , Kelly Rissman

The FAA notified of a ground stop at FAA on Friday morning due to volume: “Departures to Ronald Reagan Washington National are grounded due to airport volume.”

Trump’s latest finger-pointing targets helicopter’s height

13:26 , Kelly Rissman

In an early morning Truth Social post, President Trump suggested the cause of the collision isn’t “really too complicated to understand.”

Officials have not yet unveiled the cause of the deadly collision. But some people with knowledge of the matter admitted that the helicopter was flying 100 feet above its max altitude, according to the New York Times.

Although the military helicopter was told to fly no higher than 200 feet, it was above 300 feet and was at least a half-mile off the approved route when the crash occurred, the Times reported.

Trump wrote: “The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???”

President Trump slammed the FAA’s DEI policies — but who actually works at the agency?

13:12 , Kelly Rissman

“Brilliant people have to be in those positions,” the president said about air traffic controllers.

Trump then claimed that the federal agency “hearing, vision, missing, extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism” were “all qualified for the position of a controller of airplanes pouring into our country.”

But most air traffic controllers are white men, according to Census and IPUMS data reviewed by Axios.

Of all air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists, 78 percent of were men, while 22 percent were women, the outlet reported. More than two-thirds — 71 percent — were non-Hispanic white, the data shows.

American Airlines pilot’s dad flew Black Hawks for U.S. military on exact route son lost his life

13:05 , James Liddell

Sam Lilley, 28, one of two pilots on American Eagle flight 5342 who was tragically killed on Wednesday, was a second-generation pilot.

His father, Tim Lillely, was a military helicopter pilot in the nineties, he told NewsNation.

When the older Lilley was in the U.S. Army, he flew Black Hawks on the precise route his son lost his life.

After watching a video of the collision, he said “Sam was flying just the way he was supposed to”.

He added: “I don’t want to blame, you know, my brothers that fly Black Hawks,” he clarified. “I flew them for 20 years, and I love those guys.”

Trump takes another swipe at FAA’s DEI practices: ‘This is why U.S. was going to HELL’

12:55 , James Liddell

12:45 , James Liddell

There are likely no survivors after an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter crashed midair near Washington, D.C, Wednesday evening, officials have said.

Flight 5342 from Kansas was on the final approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport when it collided with the Black Hawk helicopter before exploding a huge fireball. There were 67 people aboard the two flights when they crashed.

Both aircraft plunged into the icy Potomac River sparking a massive search-and-rescue operation amid strong winds and chilly 42-degree water.

So far, at least 40 bodies of 67 have been recovered from the river, District of Columbia Fire Chief John Donnelly said Thursday. A group of figure skaters and coaches competing in the National Figure Skating championships were on board.

The Independent’s reporters have pooled together what they know so far about the mid-air collision.

Washington DC plane crash: Everything we know about the deadly collision so far

Watch: Final moments of DC crash recreated by flight simulator

12:01 , James Liddell

Who were the two American Airlines pilots?

11:48 , James Liddell

Jonathan Campos, 34, of Ormand Beach, Florida, was the captain of the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, and had dreamt of being a pilot since he was 13, his aunt told The New York Times.

“I think he wanted to be free, and be able to fly and soar like a bird,” Beverly Lane said.

Lane said she had spoken with Campos on Wednesday just before the flight when he told her he was looking forward to an upcoming Caribbean cruise with family.

Campos was also a mechanic and sometimes helped his neighbors fix their cars, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “Joni was a good guy,” the neighbor said.

The other pilot was 28-year-old Sam Lilley of Savannah, Georiga, his father – a former helicopter pilot in the military – Timothy Lilley told Fox 5 Atlanta.

The marketing graduate was also engaged, according to his father, whose worst fears were confirmed when his son never checked in after the flight as usual.

“This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” Timmothy Lilley said.

Hero pilot Captain Sully Sullenberger weighs in

11:42 , James Liddell

Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who famously landed a commercial airline on the Hudson River over a decade ago, has weighed in on the disastrous DC plane crash.

On Wednesday night, an American Airlines regional jet was on the final approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., when it collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter shortly before 9 p.m. ET, before plunging into the Potomac River claiming the lives of 67 people.

“We’ve had to learn important lessons literally with blood too often, and we had finally gotten beyond that, to where we could learn from incidents and not accidents,” Captain Sullenberger told The New York Times in an interview.

Madeline Sherratt has the story.

Hero pilot Captain Sully Sullenberger weighs in on DC American Airlines crash

Jet had to abort landing 24 hours before DC crash – due to a helicopter

11:21 , James Liddell

Twenty-four hours before the horror collision between American Eagle flight 5342 and a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter, another jet was allegedly forced to abort its landing.

On Tuesday night air traffic controllers were alerted of a different regional plane coming in for a landing at Reagan National Airport it had to make a second approach, according to the Washington Post.

Pilots gave an eerie reason for its aborted first landing to the tower: A helicopter had appeared near the flight path.

Trump won’t visit Washington DC plane crash site because it’s ‘the water’

11:01 , James Liddell

Donald Trump responded sarcastically to questions about whether he would be visiting the site of the deadly crash over the Potomac River in Washington D.C., asking reporters at the White House: “You want me to go swimming?”

The president said on Thursday he would be meeting with some of the families of victims of the tragedy, which occurred at Ronald Reagan Airport Wednesday night. All 67 people involved in the crash are presumed dead, authorities said previously.

When asked about his plans to visit the crash site, he replied: “I have a plan to visit, not the site. Because you tell me, what’s the site? The water? You want me to go swimming?”

Mike Bedigan has the story.

Trump won’t visit Washington DC plane crash site because it’s ‘the water’

In pictures: DC plane crash victims revealed

10:41 , Sam Rkaina

In pictures: Investigators work on black box of American Eagle flight 5342

10:21 , James Liddell

Victims of Washington DC collision named

09:59 , James Liddell

The Independent has collated a list of victims aboard the American Eagle flight 5342 who have been confirmed by family, local or state officials, or workplaces/organizations they were affiliated with.

At least 40 bodies are believed to have been recovered from the Potomac River at the time of this post.

Here is the list:

Alexandr Kirsanov, Andrew Eaves, Angela Yang, Asra Raza, Brielle Beyer, Casey Crafton, Christine Lane, Danasia Elder, Elizabeth Keys, Evgenia Shishkova, Grace Maxwell, Ian Epstein, Inna Volyanskaya, Jesse Pitcher, Jin Han, Jinna Han, Justyna Beyer, Kiah Duggins, Lori Schrock, Michael Stovall, Olivia Ter, Pergentino Malabed Jr, Robert Schrock, Ryan O’Hara, Samuel Lilley, Sarah Best, Sean Kay, Spence Lane, Vadim Naumov, Vikesh Patel, Wendy Shaffer.

Family pays tribute to ‘devoted’ father-of-three who died in crash

09:41 , Michelle Del Rey

Robert Prewitt was described as “very devoted to his three girls,” by his family.

The 44-year-old was an ironworker from Lusby, Maryland. His company sent him to Witchita on January 9.

He liked his job but “didn’t like being away from home so much,” his aunt, Susan Prewitt Naylor, told The Independent.

“We are a big mess. This is not our first loss,” she said.

Prewitt’s daughter, Aubrie, said her dad had been “hilarious” and “knew just what to say when I was having a hard day to make me laugh.”

“I miss you today, tomorrow, and forever,” she wrote on Facebook.

Mapped: Tracking the two aircraft moments before disaster

08:39 , James Liddell

Duffy says first day as Transport Secretary ‘not what I expected’

08:34 , James Liddell

Crane used to remove parts of Baltimore Bridge being brought to help with crash site

08:00 , Mike Bedigan

A crane used to remove parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed March 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland, is being brought in to help with recovery efforts in Washington D.C.

Teams are bringing a US Coast Guard crane to the Potomac River to help reach victims who are in a section of the wreckage that divers can’t get to, a law enforcement source told CNN.

The crane is already en route from Baltimore and will be used to cut and lift pieces of the airplane to allow divers to safely recover additional victims, CNN reported.

China offers condolences to Washington over air disaster

07:10 , Angus Thompson

China offered deep condolences over the Washington air disaster, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on Friday on its official website.

The post added that two Chinese citizens were killed in the crash and China is providing assistance to their relatives.

GOP Senator rips Trump’s blame of DEI programs for DC crash

07:00 , Mike Bedigan

Senator Lisa Murkowski ripped President Donald Trump’s comments blaming disability and diversity hires for the airplane-helicopter crash.

The Alaska Republican’s words come after Trump blamed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices for the crash near Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people. Specifically, the president criticized the Federal Aviation Administration’s recruitment program for people with intellectual disabilities.

Murkowski told The Independent exclusively that she felt awful for the families and everyone involved.

“I don’t know about you, but when I saw the when I saw the news of the crash last night and just waking up this morning and watching the briefing, your heart just goes out, not only to the families who lost loved ones, but to everybody who was part of that,” she said.

“Think about just the heartache of all of this,” she said. “So to to see a statement like that, where, without full, without full information about, really, what happened, other than a massive casualty, to suggest that it was, it was to be blamed because of the diversity hire, I think, I think, does not project, the level of empathy that we need to show for those who lost their loved ones.”

Governor Brian Kemp sends condolences to families of ‘young Georgians’ killed in crash

06:00 , Mike Bedigan

Georgia governor Brian Kemp sent his “deepest condolences: to the families and friends of Ryan O’Hara and Sam Lilley, who both died in Wednesday’s collisions.

“Both of these young Georgians shared a passion for flight and for serving others, and this terrible tragedy is that much more difficult knowing their lives were cut so unexpectedly short,” Kemp wrote on X.

“Marty, the girls, and I ask that all Georgians join us in keeping their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.”

O’Hara was part of the crew on the helicopter, while Lilley was piloting the passenger plane.

Civil rights attorney, 30, named among victims on passenger jet

05:30 , Mike Bedigan

A young civil rights attorney on her way home to Washington D.C. from Kansas was among the 64 people that died on the passenger plane.

Kiah Duggins, 30, worked as an attorney for the Civil Rights Corps. She had been in Wichita to be with her mother during a surgical procedure, according to KMUW.

Duggins’ family members confirmed to the outlet on Thursday that she was onboard the flight.

Her father, Maurice Duggins, said in a statement: “We are coming to terms with the grief associated with the loss of our beautiful and accomplished firstborn. Please respect our family’s privacy at this time.”

Footage shows American Airlines plane wreckage in Potomac River

04:45 , Mike Bedigan

Multiple near-misses with helicopters reported at DCA prior to crash

04:20 , Mike Bedigan

Multiple near-misses involving helicopters near DCA had been recorded in the three years before Wednesday’s deadly crash, CNN reports.

Federal incident reports reviewed by the outlet, showed at least two other pilots reported near-misses with helicopters while landing at the airport.

On two occasions, in April 2024 and October 2022 respectively, passenger planes had to take evasive action to avoid colliding with a helicopter, according to reports filed by pilots.

In a third incident in September 2022, two military helicopters got too close together, an air traffic controller reported.

Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding react to deaths of ice skaters in DC plane crash

04:00 , Mike Bedigan

Ice skating legends Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding have given emotional responses to the devastating deaths of fellow figure skaters in the Washington DC plane crash.

Amber Raiken has more:

Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding react to deaths of ice skaters in DC plane crash

‘You want me to go swimming?’: Trump says he won’t visit DC plane crash site because it’s ‘the water‘

03:32 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump responded sarcastically to questions about whether he would be visiting the site of the deadly crash over the Potomac River in Washington D.C., asking reporters at the White House: “You want me to go swimming?”

The president said on Thursday he would be meeting with some of the families of victims of the tragedy, which occurred at Ronald Reagan Airport Wednesday night. All 67 people involved in the crash are presumed dead, authorities said previously.

Read more here:

Trump says he won’t visit crash site because it’s ‘the water‘

Recap: What we know so far about the mid-air collision near Reagan Airport

03:00 , Mike Bedigan

There are likely no survivors after an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter crashed midair near Washington, D.C, Wednesday evening, officials have said.

Flight 5342 from Kansas was on the final approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport when it collided with the Black Hawk helicopter before exploding a huge fireball. There were 67 people aboard the two flights when they crashed.

Here is everything we know about the first commercial airline crash in the U.S. since 2009:

Washington DC plane crash: Everything we know about the deadly collision so far

Staffing at air traffic control tower ‘not normal’ during Washington plane crash, FAA report reveals

02:30 , Mike Bedigan

Air traffic control staffing at Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” on Wednesday night when a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet collided mid-air, according to a new report.

Katie Hawkinson has more:

Air traffic control staffing ‘not normal’ during D.C. plane crash, FAA report reveals

Both of the passenger planes’ ‘black boxes’ recovered

02:03 , Mike Bedigan

Both of the flight data recorders – known as black boxes – from the passenger aircraft that collided with a military helicopter at DCA has been recovered from the Potomac River, authorities told CNN.

The two devices will now be taken to labs to examine their contents.

Trump responds to question of crash-site visit: ‘You want me to go swimming?’

02:00 , Mike Bedigan

Footage shows American Airlines plane wreckage in Potomac River

01:30 , Mike Bedigan

Recap: Trump baselessly blames D.C. plane crash that killed 67 on DEI and Biden

01:00 , Mike Bedigan

President Donald Trump used a deadly air crash that killed three Army aviators and 64 passengers and crew aboard an American Airlines jet to attack his two Democratic predecessors and falsely suggest the tragedy was the result of diversity initiatives in government.

In his first visit to the White House briefing room since returning to the presidency last week, Trump initially offered a moment of silence for the victims and praised the efforts of first responders after the crash, which took place just before 9 p.m. ET at Reagan National Airport outside Washington.

Read more here:

Trump baselessly blames D.C. plane crash that killed 67 on DEI and Biden

In pictures: U.S. Park Police helicopters attend the scene in DC

00:30 , Mike Bedigan

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