Washington Plane Crash Highlights: Trump confirms no survivors in tragic crash, says it’s still not clear what led to collision

President Donald Trump on Thursday questioned the actions of the army helicopter pilot and air traffic controller ahead of a deadly midair collision in Washington and quickly veered into politics to speculate that Democrats and diversity initiatives shared blame for the deaths of 67 people.

As Trump spoke, a federal investigation into the crash was just getting started and first responders were still working to recover bodies from the wreckage of the commercial jet and army helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday night.

Speaking from the White House — just over three miles from the scene — Trump at points acknowledged that it was too soon to draw conclusions as he encouraged the nation to pray for the victims. But he moved nonetheless to assign blame.

Trump said “we are one family” as he expressed condolences for the crash. He then proceeded to attack political opponents and unleash grievances about diversity initiatives.

“The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website,” Trump said. He added that the program allowed for the hiring of people with hearing and vision issues as well as paralysis, epilepsy and “dwarfism.”

Speaking at the White House, US President Donald Trump said it "was a dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital and in our nation's history and a tragedy of terrible proportions".

He added that a "massive search-and-rescue mission was underway throughout the night, leveraging every asset at our disposal, and I have to say, the local, state, federal military, including the United States Coast Guard in particular, they've done a phenomenal job."

“As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly,” Trump said.

Trump stated that the U.S. military and the National Transportation Safety Board are conducting an investigation into the crash.

“We’ll find out how this disaster occurred and will ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” he said.

Calling the collision a "real tragedy", US President Donald Trump said that the rescue operation was underway through the night which has now converted into a recovery operation.

"Sadly, there were no survivors. We grieve for the precious souls," he said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the helicopter crew involved in the crash was "fairly experienced" and was doing an "annual proficiency training flight" at the time of the collision, according to NBC.

For those seeking information about family members, American Airlines has set up support centers in Washington and Wichita, Kansas. A dedicated hotline is also available at 1-800-679-8215.

Officials confirmed Thursday that 28 bodies had been pulled from the frozen waters of the Potomac River following a collision between an American Airlines jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, and an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington. Rescue efforts were ongoing, but authorities did not expect there were any other survivors, marking this as the worst US air tragedy in nearly 24 years.

“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation's capital, was quoted as saying by Associated Press.“ We don't believe there are any survivors.” The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found.

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser shared very little details about the rescue operation and also declined to comment on the condition of aircraft, which remains submerged in the Potomac River.

Asked if there are any survivors, Fire and EMS Chief John A Donnelly said, “We don’t know yet. But we’re working,” according to an Associated Press report.

Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, Russian-born ice skating coaches and former world champions, were on the American Airlines plane that crashed into the Potomac River in Washington on Wednesday night, as reported by the Kremlin and state media.

Shishkova and Naumov, who were married to each other, won the world championships in pairs figure skating in 1994 and had reportedly lived in the United States since at least 1998, where they trained young ice skaters.

The couple were reported to have been returning from the competition and travelling with a group of young skaters, according to Reuters. Russia's Mash news outlet published a list of 13 skaters, many of them the children of Russian emigres to the United States, who it said were believed to have been on the plane.

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked a helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight: "PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight?"

The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.”

There was no response and seconds later, 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 Potomac.

(With inputs from Associated Press)

-A collision between an American Airlines jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, and an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday prompted a large-scale search-and-rescue operation in the Potomac River.

-The crash happened in highly secured and closely monitored airspace, a little more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of the White House and the US Capitol.

-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 Federal Aviation Administration said the midair crash occurred before 9 pm EST when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter on a training flight while on approach to an airport runway.

-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.

Officials stated that a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional passenger jet crashed into the freezing Potomac River on Wednesday night following a midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport.

Below are the details of the aircraft involved:

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.

(With Reuters inputs)

US President Donald Trump reacted to Wednesday night’s mid-air collision between a passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, describing the incident as "NOT GOOD" and questioning the helicopter’s flight path on a "CLEAR NIGHT."

"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn," he said in a post on Truth Social.

"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 US President added further.

A Russian drone struck an apartment building in northeastern Ukraine during a nighttime attack, leaving a gaping hole in the structure, killing at least four people, and injuring nine others, officials reported on Thursday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it “horrific tragedy” and stated that rescue operation is currently ongoing, with rubble being cleared and assistance provided to those in need.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh and party leaders Shelly Oberoi and Reena Gupta reached BJP HQ, carrying 3 bottles of 7 PPM ammonia-contaminated water amid the row with Haryana Government over river Yamuna water.

Holding a bottle in her hand, Shelly Oberoi said, "This is the dirty politics of BJP that they are playing with the health of people of Delhi. We have brought these bottles of water. Drink this water and show us whether it can be consumed..."

This comes a day after Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini drank Yamuna river water to counter AAP 'poisonous river water' allegations.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat arrived in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on Thursday. He is on a five-day visit to the state.

Devinder Singh Babla, Chandigarh BJP vice president and husband of newly-elected Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said, "We were confident that this will indeed happen. Mayor Kuldeep Kumar made up for everything else that remained, he showed that he was looting the Corporation...We will get that inquired...Their councillors saw how they were behaved with, and then they voted for us..."

The meeting between members of the JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has concluded. The JPC report has been submitted to the Speaker.

All-party meeting has begun at the Parliament Annexe ahead of the Budget session on February 1. Leaders from various parties are present at the meeting.

Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal reached a garbage dump with locals in Delhi's Vikaspuri area to raise the issue of uncleanness and to protest against AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said, "BJP and RSS are praising and worshipping the person who killed Mahatma Gandhi. I have said many times that BJP and RSS are from the same killer team...They are trying to weaken and rewrite the Constitution and bring back Manusmriti. That's why we have to fight against them (RSS and BJP). This country wouldn't have got freedom without Mahatma Gandhi. RSS and BJP people killed such a great person."

On a vehicle with alcohol, cash, and AAP campaign material seized from outside Delhi's Punjab Bhawan, BJP candidate from New Delhi assembly, Parvesh Verma said, "I think that in the next 4-5 days, Delhi's security will be under threat. Thousands of people of AAP have come from Punjab. They do not campaign for elections. They have entered mohallas. There are vehicles from Punjab with 'Government of Punjab' written on them. The vehicle seized had the same words written on it, though it was a private vehicle...I have filed a complaint with the Delhi Police and Election Commission to take prompt action over this. All such vehicles, especially those moving in New Delhi assembly constituency, should be checked. Criminal record of the occupants of these vehicles should also be checked. AAP and Arvind Kejriwal are losing elections. So, they are rattled and are lying to the people of Delhi for the last one week. For the first time, people are being threatened in elections...Arvind Kejriwal is scared and he is lying to people of Delhi in an attempt to save his government..."

Thane police anti-human trafficking cell has arrested 4 women of Bangladeshi origin who were illegally residing in the Manor Pada area of Thane West. The arrested women are Shazida Khatoon, age 38 yrs, ⁠Shalina Mulla, age 50 yrs, ⁠Ratna Khatoon, age 40 Years, ⁠and Reshma Dhali, age 40 years. Police have booked these women under various sections of the Passport Act and Foreigners Act. Police have also booked their landlord, Nitin Kondilkar, under the Foreigners Act for renting his house to these women despite being aware of these women being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants: Maharashtra Police (ANI)

More than 55 lakh people have taken a holy dip till 8 am on Thursday. According to official government data, more than 27 crore people have taken a holy dip till January 29 in Maha Kumbh.

• A commercial airliner collided with a military helicopter while heading towards Ronald Reagan National Airport.
• The Ronald Reagan National Airport said that all takeoffs and landings have been halted at the airport. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to investigate the airspace incident.

The White House has confirmed that a commercial airliner has collided with a military helicopter while heading towards Ronald Reagan National Airport. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the airspace incident that occurred near the airport.

US Vice President JD Vance took to X and stated, "...We're monitoring the situation, but for now let's hope for the best."

Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) ‘Tarini’, with two women Navy officers, crossed Point Nemo, achieving a significant milestone during the crew’s global circumnavigation expedition. Point Nemo, also known as the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility, holds the distinction of being the farthest point from any landmass on Earth.

'Tarini' is undertaking the global circumnavigation journey under the Navika Sagar Parikrama II, an Indian Navy expedition attempting a double-handed circumnavigation of the earth via the three Great Capes.