Potomac Crash
Live Blog EndedJan 31, 2025

Recap: Black boxes recovered from plane, helicopter crash that left no survivors

A large search-and-rescue effort has turned into a recovery mission for 67 people presumed dead after an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter collided and crashed into the Potomac River

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This live blog about the Potomac River crash has ended. Find live updates from Friday here.

What to Know

  • A regional jet with 60 passengers and four crew members and an Army helicopter with three crewmembers aboard collided midair about 9 p.m. ET Wednesday.
  • PSA Airlines was operating the jet as American Airlines Flight 5342. It departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was approaching Reagan Washington National Airport in Northern Virginia before the crash.
  • More than 300 first responders from around the Washington, D.C., region took part in the search-and-rescue mission, which became a recovery mission on Thursday morning.
  • As of Thursday evening, an estimated 40 bodies had been recovered from the Potomac River. D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said he did not expect to find survivors.
  • The airport reopened at 11 a.m. ET Thursday.

Recovery operations are underway after an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter collided and crashed into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night.

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