'Black box' flight data recorder recovered in DC plane crash: Recap
Editor's note: This page reflects news of the plane crash near DC on Thursday, Jan. 30. For the latest updates on victim recovery efforts, please read Paste BN's live coverage of the plane crash investigation on Friday, Jan. 31.
WASHINGTON - The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed to Paste BN on Thursday evening that investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the Bombardier CRJ700 airplane that collided in midair with an Army helicopter, leaving 67 people dead near Ronald Reagan National Airport.
The agency said the recorders, a key component of determining the final moments and circumstances of air disasters, are at NTSB labs “for evaluation.”
NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson said there are no additional recorders on the airplane, and investigators are searching for one recorder from the helicopter.
Federal aviation investigators vowed earlier in the day that they will find the cause of a horrific collision.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said at a briefing that the agency wants to assure the American public it will "leave no stone unturned in this investigation . . . This is a whole-of-government effort."
Todd Inman of the NTSB said it is too soon to know whether human error or other factors were at play in Wednesday night's collision, which left no survivors, but he said the agency expects to have a preliminary report within 30 days.
"A loss of life in an aviation accident is very unusual in the United States, and our heartfelt sorrow goes out to everyone who's affected," Inman said. "It affects us, it affects everyone around us. There are a lot of people hurting today. We will help find out what happened, we will do it factually and we will do it accurately.''
The U.S. had not had a major commercial plane crash since 2009, when a Colgan Air wreck outside Buffalo, New York, killed 50 people, including one on the ground. The nation's deadliest previous aviation catastrophe claimed 260 lives in 2001, when an American Airlines flight went down in Queens, New York, almost exactly two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The crash occurred just before 9 p.m. Wednesday when American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, attempted to land and collided in midair with the Black Hawk helicopter. The passenger plane, with 64 people aboard, and the helicopter, carrying three soldiers, plunged into the icy Potomac River and triggered a massive recovery effort.
Early Thursday morning, John Donnelly, the chief of Washington’s fire department, said 28 bodies were pulled from the water. He added that authorities were transitioning from a rescue mission to a recovery operation.
Officials have described both the airplane and helicopter crews as "experienced" and noted that the helicopter and the plane were following standard flight patterns.
"Everything was standard in the lead-up to the crash," Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said. "Now, obviously something happened here, but you'll get more information and more details as this investigation moves forward. We'll learn what happened."
Developments:
∎ Reagan National Airport, located in Arlington, Virginia, resumed flights at 11 a.m. Thursday, officials said. As of 10:30 a.m., more than 500 flights to and from the airport were canceled, according to FlightAware.
∎ Among those who died in the collision are Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the 1994 world championships for Russia in pairs figure skating before moving to the U.S. and becoming coaches. In addition, four other members of the Skating Club of Boston, including two teenagers and their parents, were on board the flight from Wichita.
∎ A Philippine National Police official was also aboard the doomed passenger plane, the agency announced Friday. A spokesperson said in a news briefing that Col. Pergentino Malabed, who served as the chief of the supply management division, was killed in the midair collision.
∎ Two Chinese citizens are among the victims of the crash, Xinhua, China’s state news agency, reported. The Chinese embassy told Xinhua it has requested the U.S. to verify the information, formally inform Chinese officials and provide assistance to the victims’ families. Paste BN has reached out to the Chinese embassy for comment.
Pilots of doomed flight identified
The pilots of the plane have been identified by sources close to them as captain Jonathan Campos and first officer Samuel Lilley, although the Washington medical examiner has yet to confirm the information.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, said Campos, 34, was a 2015 graduate from the institution, which is "deeply saddened to learn of'' his death. "Our thoughts are with his family and the families and loved ones of all impacted by this tragic accident,'' school vice president for communications Sarah Barczyk added in a statement.
Lilley, 28, was also working on the flight, according to a Facebook post made by his father, Tim Lilley. The post also said the younger Lilley was engaged to be married in the fall.
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” the post read. “Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep.”
Paste BN has reached out to Lilley’s father, Tim, who said he wasn't immediately available to speak about his son. But he told the Daily Mail that his son was near becoming a captain.
Sam Lilley graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. School President Kyle Marrero told Paste BN Lilley "embodied the Eagle spirit and soared beyond in his career.”
− Chris Quintana
What the day's news means for you: Sign up for Paste BN's Daily Briefing newsletter.
Crew member aboard helicopter identified
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves confirmed the identify Thursday of one of the three crew members of the U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter involved in the collision.
Reeves said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, a native of Brooksville, Miss., died in the crash.
The Clarion Ledger, a Paste BN Network paper in Mississippi, reported that Eaves’ wife shared the news in a Facebook post early Thursday.
“I am sure by now all of you have heard the news of the tragedy that has occurred in DC. My husband was one of the pilots in the Blackhawk,” Carrie Eaves wrote. Later in the day, she posted a photo of her husband in uniform and invited others to share memories of him, and dozens shared photos of him doing community service, running in a marathon or spending time with family and friends.
Reports: Another jet had to abort landing day before crash
A day before the horrific midair collision between an American Airlines flight and Army helicopter near the nation’s capital, a passenger airplane had to abort its first landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport after a chopper appeared in its flight path, The Washington Post and CNN reported.
The Post, citing an audio recording from air traffic control, reported that Republic Airways Flight 4514 had to "make a second approach after a helicopter appeared near its flight path."
The plane, flying from Connecticut, reached an altitude of about 1,600 feet during its first descent, while the helicopter was at about 300 feet, according to CNN.
The Post first reported the Tuesday incident.
— Charles Ventura
Trump speculates on cause of the collision
President Donald Trump noted the loss of life earlier Thursday. "Sadly, there are no survivors," Trump said at the White House. Trump also said the helicopter crew "should've seen where they were going."
Trump speculated on possible causes of the collision and leveed criticisms at previous Democratic administrations as well as policies of diversity, equity and inclusion while speaking about the crash.
Trump referenced "a confluence of bad decisions that were made," but at different times suggested the Federal Aviation Administration and air traffic controllers could be blamed without providing evidence.
He later admonished the administrations of former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and then took aim at FAA hiring practices. "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," he said.
Trump provided no evidence backing up his claims that Biden- and Obama-era hiring practices and diversity initiatives are to blame for the crash. He did not say when the air traffic controllers involved in the crash were hired, nor did he specify their race or gender.
Groups blast Trump's claims on DEI
The American Association of People with Disabilities posted a message on social media saying, "FAA employees with disabilities did not cause last night's tragic plane crash. The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is extremely inappropriate for the President to use this tragedy to push an anti-diversity hiring agenda. Doing so makes all Americans less safe.''
Leaders of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus echoed similar concerns in a statement. “As families grieve the loss of their loved ones in last night’s aviation crash, President Trump does not offer any semblance of compassion or leadership,” the group said. “Instead, he is exploiting this tragedy to advance his discriminatory agenda and further divide Americans.”
Rep. Yvette Clarke, a New York Democrat who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, blasted Trump and his fellow Republicans for seeking to “scapegoat and villainize” Black and minority communities for political gain.
“President Trump, without evidence or regard for the gravity and solemnity of this incident in which American lives were lost, held a press conference to falsely blame the diversity initiatives of past administrations for the cause of this incident,” the caucus wrote in a statement. “Not only are the President’s claims untrue, they also speak to the Republican Party’s desire to divide us as a country.”
At Thursday's briefing, the NTSB's Homendy also responded to Trump's statements on DEI: "As part of any investigation, we look at the human, the machine and the environment, so we will look at all the humans that were involved in this accident. Again, we will look at the aircraft, we will look at the helicopter, we will look at the environment in which they were operating in. That is standard in any part of our investigation.''
Experts search for explanations on plane crash
At the news conference, Homendy asked reporters for patience in finding the cause of the accident, saying, "We have substantial amounts of information. We need to verify information, we need to take our time to make sure it's accurate.''
Others are also searching for explanations for the rare mid-air collision that resulted in the nation's deadliest aviation disaster in more than two decades.
One of the first topics to address will be whether either the plane or helicopter was in the wrong airspace. Early signs from air traffic control audio suggest the American Airlines flight was following the designated path for landing at the airport and that the helicopter was also in an area it was generally authorized to be in, though possibly at a different altitude than the one designated for its flight path.
“Even the best experts right now, who are on the front lines, have a ton of unanswered questions,'' said William J. McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project. "They know more than we do right now, but they still don’t know everything.”
− Zach Wichter
Transportation secretary planning changes to FAA
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he met with families of some of the crash victims on Thursday night.
“I can’t take away their pain, but I can do a very small part to help ease it by keeping my promise to get to the bottom of what happened and be 100% transparent about the results of the investigation,” he wrote on X.
Duffy said he will visit the Federal Aviation Administration command center and recovery hangar on Friday, adding he is “developing an initial plan to fix” the FAA and will release details soon.
Hegseth says Army helicopter was doing a 'proficiency training flight'
The Army helicopter that collided with an American Airlines plane Wednesday night was on an “annual proficiency training flight” when it crashed, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a video statement posted to X on Thursday morning.
The crew was “fairly experienced,” and was conducting a night evaluation, Hegseth said. Night goggles were on board.
“There was some sort of an elevation issue" that is being "investigating at the DOD and Army level," Hegseth said without providing details.
A senior-level aviation team deployed Wednesday night will look into whether the helicopter was in the right corridor and altitude when the crash occurred, Hegseth said. The Defense Department has not yet released the names of the service members on the flight and is currently notifying their families.
– Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Virginia schools mourn loss of students, parents
School districts in Virginia on Thursday announced current and former students and parents died in the flight collision. In email updates, Fairfax County Pubic Schools said many on the flight were returning from a figure skating event in Wichita.
Three students and six parents died in the crash, Superintendent Michelle Reid said. Two of the parents were current or former district staff members. The pre-K through-12th grade district, located just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., didn’t release the victims’ names out of respect for them and their families.
“This is a time we must hold one another a bit closer,” Reid said.
Loudon County Public Schools, a school district just outside Washington, also announced former students were among those who died.
“This unimaginable loss has deeply affected our community, and with great sorrow, we have learned that multiple victims were former LCPS students,” Superintendent Aaron Spence said in an update.
− Eduardo Cuevas
6 members of Boston skating club, including 2 teens, killed in crash, CEO says
Six members of the Skating Club of Boston, including two teenagers, were aboard the flight that crashed outside Washington, D.C., CEO Doug Zeghibe said at a news conference.
"This will have long, reaching impacts for our skating community," he said.
Zeghibe said the six people affiliated with his club were on board the flight after attending a national development camp for junior and novice skaters in Wichita earlier this week. The group included world champion figure skaters Naumov and Shishkova, Zeghibe confirmed.
Teenage figure skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane − as well as their respective mothers, Jin and Christine − were also on the flight, Zeghibe said. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Virginia, identified another figure skating coach, Inna Volyanskaya, as also among the victims.
− John Bacon
Transportation secretary 'will not accept excuses'
Duffy told reporters Thursday that he believes the crash could have been prevented, calling such an event "unacceptable.''
"When Americans take off in airplanes, they should expect to land at their destination − that didn’t happen yesterday,'' Duffy said. "That’s unacceptable and so we will not accept excuses.”
Duffy said there was “not a breakdown” between the plane, the helicopter and the control tower. "Something went wrong here," he said. "I look forward to the time and point when we can give you that information."
What happens next?
As officials turn to a recovery stage, they are working to recover all the bodies in the water and begin removing and analyzing the crashed plane and helicopter.
Duffy said the fuselage of the American Airlines plane was inverted and located in three different areas of the river.
He added that the National Transportation Safety Board, in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration, will analyze the aircraft "to get the best results possible for the American people.”
Pilots were 'experienced,' American Airlines CEO says
Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines, said the pilots aboard the passenger jet from Kansas were "experienced."
He said the captain has flown for at least six years with PSA, a regional airline owned by the American Airlines Group. The first officer had "almost two years" with the airline, Isom said. They were among four crewmembers on board the plane.
Isom told reporters the passenger jet was on an "otherwise normal approach" when it collided with the Black Hawk helicopter.
"We don't know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft," he said.
Wichita holds a community prayer vigil over 'terrible tragedy'
Wichita Mayor Lily Wu called Wednesday's crash a "terrible tragedy" and said it "will unite those in Washington, D.C., and Kansas, Wichita, forever."
"Tragedies like this remind us that we are one community; whether a Wichitan, a Kansan or an American – we are one community and in times of struggle, we do come together in grief and sadness to lift one another," Wu said at an emotional news conference Thursday. "Wichita is stronger because we are together."
At a public prayer vigil at city hall Thursday afternoon, Rabbi Shmulik Greenberg told reporters it is important to come together in moments like these to show unity as a community, regardless of faith denomination.
“When things like this happen, it's so important that we come together and shine a light,'' Greenberg said. "It’s not enough to just grieve together, but this has to continue on to joyous times together.”
Weather will be clear in Washington as recovery efforts continue
For recovery efforts, the weather in Washington, D.C., should be sunny and seasonably cold on Thursday before rain arrives Friday.
"Other than the frigid water temperatures, we don't expect any adverse weather Thursday to negatively impact search and rescue efforts," Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather senior director of forecast operations, said in an e-mail to Paste BN.
At the time of the crash Wednesday night, the weather was clear but breezy in Washington, according to records from the National Weather Service. A weather station at Reagan National Airport at 8:52 p.m. reported an air temperature of 50 degrees, fair skies and a visibility of 10 miles. Winds were steady out of the northwest at 16 mph but were gusting to 26 mph.
Meteorologists say water temperatures ranged from 33-36 degrees in the Potomac River near the crash site. "At these frigid water temperatures, the human body’s core temperature quickly drops. Exhaustion or unconsciousness can occur in as little as 15 to 30 minutes," DePodwin said.
− Doyle Rice
Who makes the Black Hawk helicopter?
Connecticut-based aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky, which is owned by Lockheed Martin, makes the UH-60 Black Hawk. It was a U.S. Army Black Hawk, with the call sign PAT25, that crashed with the American Airlines plane in midair, according to Aviation Safety Network, which provides information on aircraft accidents.
The Black Hawk helicopter serves a variety of uses in the military, including air assault, medical evacuation and utility transport. Over 5,000 Black Hawks have been built for 36 nations, according to Sikorsky.
− Eduardo Cuevas
'In shock': The scene outside Reagan National Airport
The roads around Reagan National Airport were eerily quiet Thursday morning. Police vehicles lined the water near Gravelly Point Park, where onlookers typically watch planes descend and take off.Emergency vehicles blocked the entrance to the airport. Agents only allowed TSA agents, press and emergency officials to pass through. A gift shop selling T-shirts, neck pillows and Washington, D.C. mugs just before the entrance to airport security remained open.
Debbie Fox, 68, was among the few travelers who had decided to stay at the airport overnight. She arrived in D.C. in early January to attend the presidential inauguration and wasn’t set to fly out for another week, but she decided to head to the airport Wednesday night to see if she could get on an earlier flight.
Originally from Waltham, Massachusetts, Fox was heading to Chicago for medical treatment. Now, she’s not sure she wants to fly.
“I'm like in shock. I really am shocked that this kind of accident happened,” Fox told Paste BN.
− Karissa Waddick
Reagan National Airport runway map
This was not the first time a plane crashed into the Potomac River
A dramatic plane crash in frigid temperatures. And a search and rescue that saved lives on the same partially frozen Potomac River.
Almost 43 years ago to the day, tragedy struck when a commercial jet − Air Florida Flight 90 − plunged into icy waters shortly after an afternoon takeoff from the same airport where a passenger jet with 64 people aboard collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night.
That plane, en route from what was then Washington National Airport to south Florida, struck the 14th Street Bridge just a few miles from the White House, crushing multiple cars and killing four motorists. Read more here.
−Josh Meyer
US Figure Skating says skaters, coaches, family on board
Among those on board the flight were a group of figure skaters, their coaches and family members returning home from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, according to a statement from U.S. Figure Skating, the sport's American governing body.
"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts," U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.
Other Russians along with figure skaters also on plane
Besides Naumov and Shishkova, the Russian figure skaters who had moved to the U.S. and became coaches, other Russian nationals were on board the plane that crashed Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing Thursday.
"We see, unfortunately, that this sad information is confirmed," Peskov said, according to Russian state media. "Our other compatriots were also there. Bad news from Washington today."
Russia's state news agency TASS reported Naumov and Shishkova were on the plane. Their son, Maxim Naumov, has competed for the United States as figure skater, winning the U.S. Junior National Championship in 2020. It's unclear whether he was on the flight with his parents.
– Kim Hjelmgaard and Reuters
Air traffic control audio: 'I just saw a fireball'
Air traffic control audio recorded the final moments before and after the crash. Audio from LiveATC.net, a respected source for in-flight recording, captured the final communications between the three crew members of the helicopter – call sign PAT25 – before it collided with the jet carrying 64 passengers and crew.
"PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ," an air traffic controller said at 8.47 p.m. on Wednesday. Seconds later, another aircraft called in to air traffic control, saying, "Tower, did you see that?" apparently referring to the crash.
"I don't know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach into 33. We're going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future," another controller said.
"Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river," a third air traffic controller can be heard saying.
"It was probably out in the middle of the river," the controller said. "I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven't seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit."
– Reuters
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Joey Garrison, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Alice Mannette, Kathleen Wong, Davis Winkie, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Zach Wichter, Josh Meyer; Reuters