Officials have confirmed that the search following the American Airlines 5342 mid-air collision has switched to a "rescue operation".
During a press conference on Thursday morning, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly told reporters: “We are now at a point where we’re switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident."
Per CNN and NBC News, it has also been reported that twenty-seven bodies had been recovered from the passenger jet, and one had been recovered from the military helicopter.
It is believed there will be no survivors from either aircraft.
Additionally, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has confirmed the current state of the plane's fuselage as it lies in the Potomac River, saying: "The fuselage of the American Airlines plane was inverted. It’s been located in three different sections. It’s in about waist-deep water, so that recovery is going to go on today."
Speaking on the ongoing recovery, Duffy added: "As that recovery takes place of the fuselage of the aircraft, NTSB is going to start to analyze that aircraft, partner with the FAA with all the information we have to get the best results possible for the American people."
Duffy also confirmed that both aircraft were on a "standard flight pattern".
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"This was a clear night last night; the helicopter was in the standard pattern. If you live in the DC area, you will see helicopters up and down the river,” Duffy told reporters. “This was a standard fight pattern last night as well.”
“The American Airline flight coming in to land was in a standard flight pattern as it was coming into DCA, so this was not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at DCA,” Duffy said.
On Wednesday evening, an American Airlines flight crashed into a military helicopter, sending both aircraft plummeting into the Potomac River in Washington D.C.
American Airlines Flight 5342, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was making its final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with a Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers.
Traveling at approximately 140 miles per hour, the aircraft adjusted its trajectory to land on Runway 33 after clearance from air traffic control, The Guardian reports.
Moments before the tragic collision, an air traffic controller had radioed the approaching military helicopter, asking if it had the incoming jet in sight. Another call followed: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.” But within seconds, the two aircraft collided, CNN reports.
The plane’s radio transponder went silent just 2,400 feet short of the runway — right over the Potomac River.
An emergency response was quickly initiated, with 300 personnel scouring the river in hopes of finding survivors.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials confirmed the mid-air crash occurred around 9:00PM local time.
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Flight 5342 had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was preparing to land in Washington when it struck a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter, which had taken off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia for a routine training mission, NBC News reports.
President Donald Trump said early Thursday morning that the midair collision was a “bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented".
Writing on his Truth Social platform, President Trump said: “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!” the president continued.
What led to the collision remains unclear. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation to determine whether human error, equipment malfunction, or communication failures played a role.
It was later confirmed that multiple members of the US Figure Skating team, their parents, and their coaches had been on board the flight.
"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 organization said in a statement, per CNN.
“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.”
D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly had earlier revealed that search and rescue efforts were difficult due to the cold weather conditions.
The Potomac River, approximately eight feet deep where the wreckage went down, is making underwater searches extremely difficult, as he explained: "The water is dark, it is murky. That is a very tough condition for them to dive in."