American Airlines Plane & Black Hawk Helicopter Crash Leaves Many Dead

All 64 people aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter were feared dead in what is said to be the worst U.S. aviation disaster plane crash in nearly a quarter century, according to officials.

They also said that at least 28 bodies were pulled from the Potomac River after the helicopter flew into the path of the jet late Wednesday evening as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington D.C. The plane carried 60 passengers and four airport crew members while the helicopter has three soldiers aboard.

“We don’t believe there are any survivors,” the fire chief in the nation’s capital John Donnelly said of the plane crash. “We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.”

There was no immediate response about the potential cause of the collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas, with U.S. and Russian figure skaters and others aboard. It was preparing for a routine landing at the time of the collision, according to The Associated Press.

President Donald Trump opened a White House news conference following the crash with a moment of silence honoring the victims, calling the sudden tragedy an “hour of anguish” for the United States. But he spent most of his time lashing out at the Biden administration and diversity efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), saying they had led to slipping standards — even while acknowledging that the cause of the airport crash was unknown.

Without evidence, Trump blamed air traffic controllers, the helicopter pilots, and Democratic policies at federal agencies. He claimed the FAA was “actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative.”

Meanwhile, flights resumed at the airport but many flights had been cancelled, and airport information boards were flooded with red cancellation messages. Other flights were delayed until late morning or afternoon.

Passengers on Wednesday’s flight included a group of figure skaters, their coaches, and family members who were returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.

“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement on Instagram. “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as soon as it becomes available.”

Two of those coaches who are presumed dead were identified by the Kremlin as Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 World Champs and competed twice in the Olympics. The Skating Club of Boston lists them as coaches, and their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skater for the U.S.

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