LIVE DC plane crash updates: 28 bodies recovered; no survivors expected

WASHINGTON – More than two dozen have been recovered from the icy Potomac River after an American Airlines jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, collided with an Army helicopter carrying three soldiers while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., officials reported Thursday.

Crews continued searching for other casualties but did not expect to find any survivors, potentially making this the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly 24 years.

Here’s the latest:

 DC Fire chief confident remains of victims will be recovered

8:56 a.m.:

D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly expressed confidence that the remains of those killed in the crash will be recovered, although it may take some time. So far, at least 28 bodies have been recovered.

Officials reported that flight conditions were clear when the jet, arriving from Wichita, Kansas, was making a routine landing and the helicopter flew into its path. An Army official confirmed that three soldiers were on board the helicopter during a training flight.

American Airlines has established centers in Washington and Wichita, Kansas, to assist people searching for information about family members and loved ones.

Duffy says plane crash was “absolutely” preventable

8:19 a.m.:

When asked about President Donald Trump’s overnight social media post that the collision between an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members and an Army helicopter could have been prevented, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “Do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”

Duffy also said passengers should be “assured” that flying is safe.

“I would just say that everyone who flies in American skies expects that we fly safely. That when you depart an airport, you get to your destination. That didn’t happen last night and I know that President Trump, his administration, the FAA, the DOT, we will not rest until we have answers for the families and for the flying public. You should be assured that when you fly, you’re safe.”

“We have early indicators of what happened here and I will tell you with complete confidence we have the safest airspace in the world,” Duffy said.

Duffy also added that, prior to the collision, the plane and helicopter flight paths “were not unusual for what happens in the DC airspace”

“Everything was standard in the lead up to the crash. Obviously there was something that happened here,” Duffy said.

LIVE: Plane carrying 64 collides with Army helicopter near DC

“Profound sense of grief”

8:02 a.m.:

“We are going to recover our fellow citizens,” District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a somber news conference at the airport in which she declined to say how many bodies had been recovered.

“This morning we all share a profound sense of grief,” Bowser said.

Authorities have yet to determine the cause of Wednesday’s collision, but all takeoffs and landings at Ronald Reagan National Airport were suspended until at least 11 a.m. Dive teams searched the site, while law enforcement helicopters from across the region conducted a search for bodies.

Images from the river showed boats surrounding the partially submerged wing and what appeared to be the mangled wreckage of the plane’s fuselage.

28 bodies recovered; all aboard American Airlines jet feared dead

7:47 a.m.:

Authorities reported Thursday that at least 28 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River following the collision of an American Airlines jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington.

Officials stated that the search for additional casualties is ongoing, but they do not anticipate finding any more survivors. This incident, if confirmed, would mark the deadliest air crash in the United States in nearly 24 years.

The plane’s body was discovered upside down and broken into three sections in waist-deep water, while the wreckage of the helicopter was also located.

Daylight reveals glimpses of wreckage

7 a.m.:

FOX 5 images show part of the wreckage as rescue boats search the Potomac River after a plane on approach to Reagan National Airport collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter.

Officials are expected to update the situation at 7:30 a.m.

Flag draped remains honored by first responders

6:45 a.m.:

First responders honor the flag draped remains of an unidentified victim recovered after an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.

The jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members on Wednesday night when the crash happened. Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter.

Kremlin confirms former champion Russian figure skaters were onboard 

6:38 a.m.:

The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian figure skaters, among other Russian nationals, were on the American Airlines plane that crashed into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced Thursday that Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the 1994 world champion pairs figure skaters and two-time Winter Olympics competitors, were aboard the aircraft.

“Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed. There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash,” he said according to the Associated Press.

Peskov did not disclose the number of fatalities.

Shishkova and Naumov are listed as professional pairs coaches on the Skating Club of Boston’s website. Their son, Maxim Naumov, competes as a figure skater for the United States.

Ronald Reagan National Airport not expecting flights to resume until at least 11am

6:30 a.m.:

Officials at Ronald Reagan National Airport say they do not expect flights to resume until at least 11 a.m.

DCA plane crash: Reaction pours out after American Airlines flight collides with military helicopter

MilitaryWashington, D.C.VirginiaTravelTravel NewsNewsAlerts