Tragedy in the Potomac: What We Know About the Plane Crash Near Washington, D.C.
American Airlines flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport (DCA), just outside of Washington, D.C., on the evening of 29 January.
Sixty-seven people were aboard both aircrafts when they struck each other above the Potomac River shortly before 9 p.m. ET. Both the airplane and the helicopter fell into the water after the impact, which happened at a low altitude, presumably while the plane was getting ready to land.
Rescue efforts began Wednesday night and turned into recovery efforts on Thursday morning. Emergency responders arrived on the scene within minutes, according to NPR. Officials expect there will be no survivors.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced it will be opening an investigation into the crash, which the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has pledged to cooperate with.
NTSB has launched a go-team to the aviation accident involving a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 airplane and a Sikorsky H-60 military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) January 30, 2025
From Rescue to Recovery
The FAA issued an alert about an aircraft incident at 8:48 p.m., roughly 15 minutes before AA Flight 5342 was scheduled to land. The alert triggered a large regional response, which included Washington, D.C., police, fire, and airport authorities, according to The New York Times.
Fire and police departments from throughout the Washington metropolitan area are coordinating a recovery operation, said Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, who spoke at a news briefing. More than 300 emergency responders from state and federal agencies are supporting the efforts, according to DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly.
Tonight, as our first responders continue their efforts, we are sending our love and prayers to the families, loved ones, and communities who are experiencing loss during this terrible tragedy.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 30, 2025
We will provide our next briefing at 7:30AM at DCA. It will be live on this account.
During a press briefing, Donnelly added that conditions were “extremely rough” and “dangerous” for responders, working in extremely cold conditions. The area of the Potomac that responders are focused on is less than a mile across and roughly 8 feet deep. The recent Arctic Blast felt in the Washington, D.C., area meant that there are lingering pieces of ice from when the river froze over.
“And because there's not a lot of lights, you're out there searching every square inch of space to see if you can find anybody. Divers are doing the same thing in the water. The water is dark. It is murky,” Donnelly said.
On Thursday morning, Donnelly told reporters that the operation was changing its focus from rescue to recovery—they no longer expect to find any survivors from the crash. Recovery efforts are continuing and are expected to take days.
As of publication, responders have recovered the bodies of at least 27 passengers from the crash. The other victims remain unaccounted for.
Temperatures in the Potomac River are currently in the low- to mid-30s, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
“Plunging into cold water of any temperature becomes dangerous if you aren’t prepared for what the sudden exposure can do to your body and brain,” the NWS said. “…Cold water quickly removes heat from the body, which could lead to cold water shock within the first minute, loss of muscle control within 10 minutes, or hypothermia within 20 to 30 minutes. When your body hits cold water, ‘cold shock’ can cause dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure.”
New U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Thursday that the fuselage of the plane was found in three different parts in water roughly “waist-deep.” Wreckage of the helicopter was also recovered, found upside down, according to The Washington Post.
American Airlines 5342
The AA flight left the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita, Kansas, at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday evening. It was a Bombardier CRJ-700 plane meant to land at DCA between 9 and 9:30 p.m. and during its approach to the airport, the flight was directed to land on Runway 33.
DCA air traffic controllers asked the pilots to adjust and land on a shorter runway a few minutes before the plane was expected to land. Once the pilots agreed, controllers cleared the landing path and monitored the flight as it approached Runway 33, according to the Associated Press (AP).
“The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the Potomac,” the AP reports.
Authorities have not yet released the passenger manifest for the flight. But we do know that among the 64 passengers and personnel on the flight were U.S. and Russian members of their respective national figure skating teams.
The U.S. team members were in Wichita to participate in a training camp that was held after the national U.S. Figure Skating Championships last week, also in Wichita. Coaches and family members were traveling with the group of figure skaters. The camp hosted top juvenile, intermediate, and novice skaters, according to the Times.
Russian state media reported that eight Russian figure skaters and four coaches—including married couple Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov—are believed to have been on the flight. Shishkova and Maumov were world champions in the 1994 pairs figure skating.
American Airlines began running direct, nonstop service between DCA and Wichita roughly one year ago.
Robert Isom, CEO for the airline, said that the company would be putting together a team, including himself, that would participate in the FAA and NTSB investigation in Washington, D.C.
American Airlines activated specialist care teams and encourages friends and family looking for information to call a helpline: 1-800-679-8215.
U.S. Army Helicopter
Three service members were in the military helicopter, which the FAA identified as an Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk that was based at Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Virginia. The helicopter was on a training flight when it collided with the plane, according to Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region media chief Heather Chairez.
“Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked a helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight,” the AP reported. “The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: ‘PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.’ There was no reply. Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.”
Fort Belvoir is home to the 12th Aviation Battalion, which provides helicopter transportation and rescue support to the DC region. The helicopter was part of that battalion, from Bravo Company. Senior Army officials often use Black Hawks for travel in the DC area, but the helicopter was not carrying any officials at the time of the crash, CNN reported.
Transportation Secretary Duffy noted that both the plane and helicopter were in standard flight patterns at the time of the crash, CNN added, but it remains unknown why the helicopter intersected with the plane’s path.
During the early morning hours of Thursday, new U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Army and Department of Defense are investigating the crash.
Latest below. Absolutely tragic. Search and rescue efforts still ongoing. Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) January 30, 2025
Investigation launched immediately by Army & DoD. pic.twitter.com/WdUnYV4UJz
Reagan National Airport (DCA)
DCA paused all landings and departures after the crash until Thursday morning at 11 a.m. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority CEO John Potter announced the airport’s reopening at a news conference.
“It’s safe. We've worked with all the federal agencies, FAA. And, you know, it's been determined that we can open that airport safely,” Potter said during the briefing.
Reagan National airport will resume flight operations at 11:00am. All airport roads and terminals are open. Some flights have been delayed or cancelled, so passengers are encouraged to check with their airline for specific flight information.
— Reagan Airport (@Reagan_Airport) January 30, 2025
The airspace in and around DCA is complicated because of challenging approaches into the airport, compounded by flight restrictions above government buildings, NPR reported.
“It’s also a particularly busy airspace, with an influx of police and military helicopters operating in the area,” according to NPR.
Also of Note...
- Former FAA Chief Mike Whitaker resigned on 20 January. Although Whitaker was confirmed for a five-year term that began in October 2023, it’s not unusual for FAA administrators to resign at the start of a new presidency, according to NPR. Prior to Whitaker’s announcement, Elon Musk, who is overseeing the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency and is the head of aviation company SpaceX, had criticized Whitaker on social media.
- U.S. President Donald Trump appointed Chris Rocheleau as acting FAA administrator on Thursday. Rocheleau was previously an executive for an aviation business association, according to Politico.
- In the week before the crash, the Trump administration eliminated the Aviation Security Advisory Committee as part of a “commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that [the Department of Homeland Security] activities prioritize our national security,” according to The Economic Times.
- Duffy, a former congressman for Wisconsin and former Fox News co-host, took the oath of office at the U.S. Supreme Court on 28 January after his U.S. Senate confirmation and was ceremonially sworn in hours before the crash.
- Prior to Flight 5342, the last major accident involving a commercial airplane in the United States was in 2009. A Colgan Air flight crashed into a house near Buffalo, New York, killing 49 passengers, one crew member, and one person inside the home.
- A Times investigation published in 2023 found “an alarming pattern” of safety lapses and near misses involving commercial airlines. “While there have been no major U.S. plane crashes in more than a decade, potentially dangerous incidents are occurring far more frequently than almost anyone realizes—a sign of what many insiders describe as a safety net under mounting stress,” the Times reported, pointing to a least 46 close calls involving commercial airlines that occurred solely in July 2023.
- Congress established DCA and Dulles International Airport, delegating the airports’ management to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority in 1987. In mid-2024, Congress decided to add five new long-haul flights to DCA, despite news reports of near misses and frustrating delays.
- Trump questioned the helicopter’s and air traffic controllers’ tactics in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
- Without presenting any evidence for his claims, Trump also blamed the crash on diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring efforts and other policies from the two previous Democratic administrations, according to the Times. During a press briefing on Thursday, Trump blamed diversity requirements at the FAA, as well as the helicopter pilots. “Mr. Trump cited no evidence, and even admitted when pressed that the investigation had only just begun,” the Times.