Midair collision of plane and military helicopter leaves 67 dead. Here’s what we know

On the night of Wednesday, Jan. 29, an American Airlines commercial airliner from Wichita, Kansas collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., killing 67 people. The midair collision, which was caught on camera, produced a fiery explosion and both the plane and helicopter crashed into the river.

Following are summaries of news updates and information from McClatchy publications around the U.S. Links to all original stories are included in the headline at the top of each summary.

No survivors found from crash

D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said on Thursday, Jan. 30 that authorities were “switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” adding that “we don’t believe there are any survivors.” 67 people are presumed dead. The CRJ-700 Bombardier was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members; the chopper was involved in a training flight with three soldiers aboard. The bodies of 28 people had been recovered by early Thursday, and efforts to find the remains of other passengers were underway.

Family members and mourners gather at Wichita City Hall

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Wichita, Kansas on Thursday to share their love and support for the families and victims of the American Airlines crash. Almost every seat in the city hall council chamber was filled.

Resources available for families of Wichita flight

Anyone looking for information about their loved ones on board Flight 5342 are being asked to call American Airlines at 1-800-679-8215. The airline also set up a webpage where updated information on the flight will be shared. The National Transportation Safety Board can connect family members with the American Red Cross to provide short-term counseling and referrals free of charge. In some cases the Red Cross can also provide longer-term mental health service referrals. They can also connect family members with other appropriate resources as well as serve as the well as serve as the primary source of contact to answer family members’ questions and provide investigation updates.

Trump blames DEI, helicopter pilot, democrats for D.C. plane crash

Trump on Thursday sought to cast blame for what caused a Wednesday night’s crash between a passenger flight from Wichita and an Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C. After a brief moment of silence for the victims and calling it a dark and excruciating night in the nation’s history, Trump started pointing fingers. He blamed the Democratic Party, initiatives to promote diversity in the Federal Aviation Administration and the pilot of the Black Hawk helicopter.

Helicopter didn’t respond to air traffic control

Air traffic control received no response from a military Black Hawk helicopter seconds before it collided with American Airlines flight 5342, which was about to land at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Air traffic control asked the helicopter pilots whether they saw the plane. “PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight,” the controller asked, referring to the helicopter’s call sign and the plane, a CRJ 700 jet. The tower received no response.

Former DOT official says helicopter likely caused crash

Mary Schiavo, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Kansas City and DOT inspector general from 1990 to 1996, theorizes the helicopter caused Wednesday night’s crash, pointing out that Reagan National Airport requires clearance for landing, so the commercial flight was likely where it should have been. She also said it looks like the helicopter was flying too high.

At least 5 with ties to Charlotte died in American Airlines DC crash, including crew

A four-person American Eagle flight crew from Charlotte was onboard the plane that collided with a helicopter over the Potomac River, according to North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and the family of the victims. Of the 67 people who died in the crash, 60 were passengers on the commercial flight, four were crew members and at least one passenger was from Wichita. Three people were on the military chopper.

American Airlines CEO mourns victims of crash

Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines, issued a video statement Wednesday night about the American Airlines crash, saying that the company is focused on helping its passengers, crew and their families. “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines,” Isom said, as rescue crews worked in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. At a news conference Thursday morning in Washington, Isom added: “This is devastating. We are all hurting.”

Flight crew member remembered fondly

Crew members of American Airlines Flight 5342 have not officially been identified. However, Debi Epstein, the former wife of flight attendant Ian Epstein, confirmed Thursday that he was killed in the collision. “He made flying fun for the passengers on the plane so they didn’t get scared,” she said in a phone interview Thursday. “He was always the jokester and just doing the announcements with the twist.” She said they had two children who are struggling with the loss of their father. “Our daughter is getting married in eight weeks,” she said. “It’s just a lot.” She said Ian was an outgoing person and “he died doing what he absolutely loved.”

Congressional leaders warned about Reagan airport

Months before the Jan. 29 collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., political leaders warned that Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was overburdened. U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, of Virginia, was among the Democratic leaders opposing the expansion of flights added to the Arlington airport in 2024. Kaine, along with Maryland senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Virginia U.S. Senator Mark Warner, began to push back before the passage of the bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024. The act would add 10 additional flights at Reagan National.

Jan. 29 crash wasn’t the first over the Potomac

The Jan. 29, 2025 plane crash into the Potomac River has drawn parallels to another tragic accident in Washington, D.C. On Jan. 13, 1982. Air Florida Flight 90 struck a bridge connecting Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia, during its ascent from Ronald Reagan National Airport, then called Washington National Airport. Like the more recent crash, the plane crashed into the Potomac River and resulted in a monumental loss of life. Federal authorities said 78 people were killed — 74 people aboard the flight and four occupants of vehicles on the bridge.

What to know about the CRJ 700 and Black Hawk

Flight 5342 was a Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jetliner operated by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines. CRJ-700 jetliners were developed by Bombardier Aviation and debuted in 1997. The 106-foot-long jetliner can hold up to 78 passengers. It has a range of up to 1,400 nautical miles and a strong safety record. The UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter in the crash belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia. The Black Hawk is the Army’s “primary medium-lift utility transport and air assault aircraft,” and can be outfitted with machine guns and missiles.

D.C. crash was first in over 15 years

Wednesday’s airline crash marks the first involving a commercial plane in the United States since 2009, when a Colgan Air flight went down on its way to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York. Fifty people died in the crash. Since then, the country has bolstered its safety standards. The Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 was passed in reaction to the 2009 crash.

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