President Donald Trump confirmed during a press conference on Thursday that there were no survivors after the deadly midair collision in Washington DC on Wednesday.
American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas – which was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members – collided midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter (carrying three people) when the chopper entered the airliner’s landing path as it approached Ronald Reagan National Airport about 9 p.m. local time Wednesday. Among the passengers on board Flight 5342 include figure skaters, coaches and family members who had been at a camp in Wichita; additionally, Russian state media confirmed that Russian figure skaters and coaches were also on board.
Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said during a press conference Thursday there were no survivors in the crash: Donnelly said several local and state agencies responded in addition to Washington first responders and the Department of Defense, working in harsh conditions, heavy wind, ice on the water. Donnelly said responders will continue to work to find all the bodies from the crash:
Newly-appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said: “We have located the two aircrafts. The fuselage of the American Airlines plane was inverted. It’s been located in three different sections. It’s in about waist-deep water,” adding that the government will not rest until it gets answers for the families and for the flying public about what caused an airliner to collide with a military helicopter.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in video statement Thursday the military helicopter was on an annual proficiency training flight: “it was a fairly experienced crew that was doing the required annual night evaluation. They did have night vision goggles. We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft was in the corridor at the right altitude at the time of the incident .. It’s a tragedy, a horrible loss of life for those 64 souls on that civilian airliner and of course the three soldiers in that Blackhawk. They’re in our prayers. We are actively investigating to find out what happened and why.”
In a briefing from the White House, President Trump said the FAA, the NTSB and the U.S. military will be carrying out a systematic and comprehensive investigation, and expressed condolences for the victims: “I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for a nation…Sadly there are no survivors. This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history and a tragedy of terrible proportions. As one nation we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly … our hearts are shattered. In moments like this the differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds of affection and loyalty that unite us all, both as Americans and even as nations. We are one family and today we are all heartbroken. We’re all searching for answers.”
Trump later said that the crash was a ‘tragedy that didn’t have to happen,’ and heavily criticism of diversity in the FAA and attacked the Biden and Obama administrations for what he claimed were bad administrative decisions at the FAA and DOT.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a statement: “I want to express my sincere condolences for the accident that happened at DCA last night. We’re absolutely heartbroken for the family and loved ones of the passengers and crew members and also for those that were on the military aircraft. Our focus right now is to doing everything that we can to support all of those involved and also the PSA Airlines team. This is devastating. We are all hurting incredibly.”
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