Plane-chopper collision near Washington kills more than 60

All 64 people aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter were feared dead in what was likely to be the worst US aviation disaster in almost a quarter century, officials said Thursday.

At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the jet late Wednesday as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, officials said. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter. "We don't believe there are any survivors," said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation's capital. "We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation."

The plane was found upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, and first responders were searching an area of the Potomac River as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, roughly 4.8 km south of the airport, Donnelly said. The helicopter wreckage was also found. If no one survived, the collision would be the deadliest US air crash since 2001.


There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas, with US and Russian figure skaters and others aboard. "On final approach into Reagan National, it collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach," American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said. "At this time, we don't know why the military aircraft came into the path of the ... aircraft."

Trump blames Biden policies
President Donald Trump opened a White House news conference after the crash with a moment of silence honoring the victims, calling it an "hour of anguish" for the country.

But he most of his time casting political blame, lashing out at the Biden administration and diversity efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration, saying they had led to slipping standards - even as he acknowledged that the cause of the 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."

Images from the river showed boats around the partly submerged wing and the wreckage of the plane's fuselage.

'Early indicators'
The night was clear, the plane and helicopter were both in standard flight patterns and there was standard communication between the aircraft and the tower, transportation secretary Sean Duffy, who was sworn in this week, said. "We have early indicators of what happened here," he added, but declined to elaborate pending a probe.