Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Donald Trump began his address at the White House Thursday with a “moment of silence” for the victims of the devastating accident, in which all 67 involved are feared dead. “I’d like to request a moment of silence for the victims and their families,” the president said, adding, “I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for our nation,” per Fox News.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Melania Trump issued an emotional statement, expressing her condolences to the families of those who died in the horrific mid-air collision of the American Airlines regional jet and army Black Hawk chopper.

“My heart goes out to those impacted by last night’s terrible tragedy. I pray for those who so sadly lost their lives, their families & loved ones, & the first responders who have worked tirelessly through the night. May they find strength and solace in this difficult time,” the first lady wrote on X.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called Wednesday’s mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter a “horrible loss of life.”

“At about 8:48 last night, a UH60, assigned to the U.S. Army Aviation Brigade in the military district of Washington, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, collided tragically with a civilian airliner,” Hegseth said in a video shared on X by the Department of Defence.

While he denied naming the three soldiers aboard the chopper, Hegseth revealed, “The Army unit involved was with Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir. It was an annual proficiency training flight.”

“We do know on our side who was involved. It was a fairly experienced crew and that was doing a required annual night evaluation. They did have night vision goggles,” he shared.

“It’s a tragedy, a horrible loss of life for those 64 souls on that civilian airliner. And, of course, the three soldiers in that Black Hawk. They’re in our prayers, their families and their communities as people are notified. I can’t imagine and I know it’s it’s gone from a rescue mission to a recovery mission,” Hegseth added.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Donald Trump will address the horrific American Airlines jet-Army Black Hawk helicopter collision at 11:00 am ET on Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, per Fox News. The president will discuss the disaster in the White House briefing room.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told CBS Mornings that the deadly American Airlines jet-military helicopter collision has raised a “lot of questions.” “You can’t tell a lot from video footage taken at night, but the footage raises a lot of questions about how this happened,” he said after a press conference with officials in Washington.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Wichita Mayor Lily Wu was tearful as she took to the podium during a press conference on Thursday. She expressed grief over the deaths of those onboard the American Airlines jet that collided with a military helicopter. “At this time our community needs to come together to support the family members that have been impacted,” she said, as reported by BBC.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: During a press conference on Thursday, Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy said that the Black Hawk helicopter was “aware” that another aircraft was close by. “The helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area,” he said, according to BBC.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy stated on Thursday morning that the midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night was “preventable.”

“We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but … what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” Duffy said.

The secretary echoed President Donald Trump’s sentiment posted on social media Wednesday, asserting that the collision “should have been prevented.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly stated that there are no survivors anticipated from the midair collision over the Potomac River, and that rescuers have shifted to a recovery operation.

“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,” he said during a Thursday morning news conference.

Officials are confident that they will recover the bodies of all those who perished in the collision on Wednesday night involving an American Airlines passenger jet and a military helicopter.

Sixty-seven people are presumed dead: 64 passengers from the jet and three individuals aboard the US Army Black Hawk helicopter. By Thursday morning, 28 bodies had already been recovered, he reported.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Fire chief cited that all individuals aboard the American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter have feared dead, per AP. Recovery efforts have so far led to the retrieval of the bodies of 27 passengers from the American Airlines jet and one individual from the helicopter.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: A responding officer stated that several dive teams have been deployed by various regional authorities. However, he noted that due to the hazardous conditions, they might have to delay entering the water until sunrise.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy clarified on Thursday morning that both the American Airlines jet and the military helicopter were flying in a “standard flight pattern” the previous night.

“Last night was clear, and the helicopter was following the standard pattern. If you’re a DC local, you’re no stranger to seeing helicopters moving along the river,” Duffy mentioned during the news conference. “This was a standard flight pattern last night as well.”

“The American Airlines flight approaching for landing was in a standard flight pattern as it neared DCA. It’s not out of the ordinary for military aircraft to be flying over the river while other planes are landing at DCA,” he added.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: After the number of casualties in the devastating American Airlines jet’s mid-air collision with an Army Black Hawk helicopter rose to 30, investigators are now focusing on why the military aircraft was “flying at that location and altitude at that moment,” a source told CBS News.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: As of 6:45 am ET, 30 bodies have been recovered from the site, where the American Airlines regional jet crashed into Potomac River after a mid-air collision with an Army Black Hawk helicopter, reported CBS News.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the country, has confirmed that several members of its skating community were onboard the ill-fated American Airlines jet that crashed into Potomac River after a mid-air collision with an Army Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night.

“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 from US Figure Skating reads, according to BBC. “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.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: The Kremlin has expressed its condolences to the families of Russian citizens who lost their lives in the devastating American Airlines jet-Black Hawk helicopter collision.

It also confirmed that Russian-born ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jetliner that crashed in Washington DC on Wednesday night.

“There were other of our fellow citizens on board. It’s bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send our condolences to families and friends,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to a Reuters report.

Russia’s figure skating federation also expressed condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the deadly crash. However, it refused to provide any further comment.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: The International Skating Union (ISU) has expressed “shock” and grief over the tragic American Airlines jet-Black Hawk helicopter collision. The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jetliner was carrying 60 passengers, including several figure skaters from the US and Russia, and four crew members. 19 bodies have been recovered so far, reported CBS News. No survivors have been found yet.

“The International Skating Union (ISU) and the global skating community are deeply shocked by the tragic accident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C. last night. We are heartbroken to learn that Figure Skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” the union said in a statement shared on X.

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport—it’s a close-knit family—and we stand together. We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: A former Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot told BBC that military aircraft are expected to avoid civilian traffic. “I’ve flown as a military pilot in the US and I’m somewhat familiar with the airspace around Washington DC. It’s highly congested but civilian and military traffic share one radio frequency,” George Bacon told the outlet.

Bacon explained that in contrast to civilian airliners, which are expected to follow fixed flight paths, military pilots have more freedom in navigation. “The military regulate themselves and pilots can choose to fly where they want and need to. In controlled airspace like this, they would still have freedom to take avoiding action, but they would be following the direction of the controller. The emphasis is that they must look – it’s known as ‘see and avoid,’” he said.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Two data recorders, AKA “black boxes”, have been recovered by a dive time from the American Airlines regional plane carrying 64 on board that crashed near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday, CBS News reported. Divers made the discovery as human remains and debris began washing up on the Virginia side of the Potomac River.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: As of 2:50 am ET, at least 19 bodies were recovered, a law enforcement source told CBS News. Search efforts continue in the Potomac River.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: As of midnight local time, the official temperature at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was around 7C (44F), but it is expected to drop further to a low of -1C (30F) throughout the night, reports BBC.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: A witness has revealed what he saw in the sky when the plane and the chopper collided, saying it looked like “white flares” lighting up the sky. Local resident Jimmy Mazeo told WUSA9 that he initially “didn’t think much of it” and thought what he saw looked like “shooting stars.”

“We didn’t really think much of it until we saw the fire trucks started going out to the tarmac and the police cars and boats. It was insane,” he said.

First responders soon arrived at the scene, which is when Mazeo realised that he and his partner saw a tragedy. “I’m really in awe. Of course, it’s terrible what happened tonight, but I think that it’s crazy we got to see what happened. I’m praying for all the people involved in this,” he said.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Several figure skaters from the US and Russia were reportedly aboard the plane that crashed. Many coaches and parents of the skaters were aboard the fight too, the Wichita Eagle reported.

The skaters were a part of the National Development Team, and had even competed at the US Figure Skating Championships. The event was held at the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan, between January 20 to January 26

Team US pair skater Luke Wang wrote on X, “praying for all those on the flight from wichita to dc. among the passengers were skaters and coaches. absolutely heartbreaking.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced that his department will “provide all the support that’s necessary” as first responders execute a rescue operation to locate survivors. “From the Department of Transportation and FAA perspective, we are going to offer full support to those on the ground – to the mayor but also to the NTSB, who is going to be conducting the investigation in this matter,” Duffy said at a press conference at Washington Reagan National Airport.

“We are going to provide all the support that’s necessary,” he added.

Duffy said that he has had a conversation with President Donald Trump and his staff about the crash in the White House Situation Room, and has also spoken to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “I think for all of us, we want to extend our thoughts and prayers to those individuals who are impacted by the events tonight,” Duffy said. “Thank you to the first responders who are getting in very difficult situations and environments out there searching and attempting a rescue.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Air Traffic Control audio has revealed that the plane was cleared to land at Reagan National Airport moments before its collision, but the helicopter it collided with did not respond to warnings. In an audio clip that has surfaced on X, an official at Reagan National Airport can be heard clearing the commercial flight from Wichita, Kansas, to land on runway 33.

The pilot can be heard in the audio clip confirming that he had the Black Hawk chopper in sight. An air traffic controller asked the helicopter pilot less than 30 seconds before the crash whether the plane that was in its final descent was visible, according to the Associated Press.

“PAT25, do you have the DRJ in sight?,” the controller asked.

When no response from the pilot came, the controller ordered, “PAT25 pass behind the CRJ.”

Seconds later, the deadly crash took place.