District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly confirmed in a news conference Thursday morning that there are multiple fatalities from the collision; 27 bodies had been pulled from the river and one from the helicopter. There were 60 passengers and four crewmembers aboard the flight, according to CNN and CBS News.

“We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” Donnelly said during the news conference, CNN reported. “At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident.”

This is the deadliest commercial airline crash in the U.S. since Nov. 12, 2001, when an American Airlines flight crashed in Queens, New York, killing all 260 people on board, per CNN.

What happened?

American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, was traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan National, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement obtained by CNN. The Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet was preparing to land when it collided midair with a U.S. military helicopter near Runway 33, according to the FAA and defense officials.

Flight records indicate the plane was scheduled to land around 9 p.m. local time. However, D.C. police received calls minutes earlier reporting a crash “above the Potomac River.”

The helicopter involved in the collision was on a training flight and belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, according to Joint Task Force-National Capital Region media chief Heather Chairez, CBS News reported.

Newly sworn-in Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said both aircraft were in a “standard pattern’” Wednesday night, and nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

“Last night, the helicopter was in a standard pattern … The American Airlines flight coming in to land was in a standard flight pattern as it was coming into DCA. So this was not unusual,” Duffy said, per the New York Post.

Multiple videos of the incident show the passenger jet and the military helicopter crashing midair, causing a fiery explosion over the Potomac River.

How many people were on the plane, and who were the victims?

There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the American Eagle passenger plane. According to Donnelly, 27 bodies were pulled from the plane and one from the helicopter during the recovery mission. He had already confirmed there were no survivors from the crash.

“It’s a highly complex operation, the conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders. It’s cold. They’re dealing with relatively windy conditions,” Donnelly said, per CBS News.

According to three emergency care providers in the Washington, D.C, region, no patients have arrived at the hospital after the crash.

“At this time, we have not received any patients,” VHC Health, formerly the Virginia Hospital Center, said in a statement obtained by ABC News early Wednesday morning. “The crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a sad and shocking tragedy and our thoughts are with all those impacted by this incident. We are working directly with the Arlington and Metropolitan Police Department, Fire, and EMS teams and all authorities,” VHC Health stated, adding, “VHC Health is prepared to assist and support first responders as these agencies continue their emergency response.”

Officials have not confirmed how many fatalities were in the crash.

U.S. Figure Skating confirmed in a statement obtained from ABC News that “several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342.”

“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,” the statement read. “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 it becomes available.”

Multiple people were waiting at the airport, hopeful to hear about their friends and loved ones who were aboard the flight. One man, Hamaad Raza, told CNN affiliate WUSA that his wife was on the plane.

“I’m just praying that somebody is pulling her out of the river right now as we speak,” Raza told the outlet, according to People. “I’m just praying to God.”

“She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes,” he said. “The rest of my texts did not get delivered, that’s when I realized something might be up,” Raza said.

What has President Donald Trump and other politicians said about the incident?

Trump released a statement Wednesday night via a post on his Truth Social app.

“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise,” he wrote.

In a follow-up post, Trump had additional questions about what caused the fiery crash, per ABC News.

“Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane,” he wrote in the post, adding, “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the Army and Defense Department have launched an investigation into the incident.
“Absolutely tragic. Search and rescue efforts still ongoing. Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families. Investigation launched immediately by Army & DoD,” Hegseth wrote.

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu spoke out about the crash, stating that many of the people on board were from the Wichita community.

“Our entire community right now is praying, hoping for better news,” Wu told ABC News. “But as a community, the entire city of Wichita, the city council members and the staff all throughout the city of Wichita are hoping that we have better news to come out of this.”