D.C. Plane Crash Live Updates: Black Boxes Found As More Details Emerge About Air Traffic Control Tower Staffing
A preliminary investigation report into the crash that occurred between a commercial plane and a military helicopter Wednesday night reportedly showed the air traffic control tower staffing level at Ronald Reagan National Airport, where the passenger jet was headed, was “not normal for the time of day and level of traffic,” The New York Times reported.
In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, wreckage is seen in the Potomac River near Ronald … [+]
Timeline
The FAA’s preliminary report on the incident noted that the staffing at the air traffic control tower was not “normal,” pointing to the fact that a single air traffic controller was handling both helicopter and plane traffic, the Associated Press reported.
However, the federal body’s assessment was refuted by an unnamed source cited by the AP who was familiar with the matter and said the staffing at the tower was at a normal level.
The New York Times reported that the handling of airplane traffic and helicopter traffic is usually handled by two separate controllers until 9.30 p.m. everyday
However on Wednesday evening, an air traffic control supervisor merged the two jobs before 9:30 p.m. (the collision occurred shortly before 9:00 p.m. local time) and allowed one air traffic controller to leave early, the Times report added.
The National Security Transport Board, which is investigating the crash, announced it had recovered the crashed plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder—which are sometimes referred to as “black boxes.” The two recorders were taken to the NTSB’s lab for evaluation.
About 40 bodies had been recovered in the Potomac River, ABC News and CBS News reported, along with some partial remains, and investigators believe they have recovered all they can without moving the plane’s fuselage. CBS reported the search for remains will stop at dusk and pick back up tomorrow.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said they do not yet have the list of plane passengers or know how many people from Wichita or Kansas were on the plane, but she said the National Transportation Security Board was working to inform all next of kin and told her the manifest could be out sometime tomorrow afternoon.
President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on aviation safety that orders a review of federal aviation hiring and safety decisions to undo the “damage” Trump said was done by former President Joe Biden’s diversity policies, and while signing it he reiterated the unproven claim that diversity, equity and inclusion policies may have played a role in the crash.
The air traffic controller who was handling helicopters near the airport Wednesday night was also directing commercial planes in take off and landing, jobs that are usually assigned to two separate people, according to an internal preliminary Federal Aviation Administration safety report seen by the Times, which also reported the tower at the airport has been understaffed for years. CNN also reported the tower was understaffed and had one person doing two jobs, citing an unnamed air traffic control source.
Army officials confirmed that two pilots of the helicopter—one man and one woman—and a male staff sergeant crew member were killed in the collision. Their bodies have been recovered.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called Trump’s claim the FAA was made unsafe by DEI hiring practices “despicable,” and criticized him for what he called his move to “fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe” (within a day of taking office, Trump had fired the head of the Transportation Security Administration and eliminated all the members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee).
Trump, in a press briefing, boasted about an executive order he issued last week ending diversity, equity and inclusion hiring within the FAA, and suggested without proof that people with “severe intellectual disabilities” had been hired as air traffic controllers under the Obama and Biden administrations. He said only “naturally talented geniuses” would be hired for the job under his new policies. He later said “we don’t know that necessarily (the crash) is even the controller’s fault.”
When asked how he could have determined diversity hiring practices were to blame for the crash without evidence, Trump said, “because I have common sense. And, unfortunately, a lot of people don’t.”
Trump appointed Chris Rocheleau, a 22-year veteran of the FAA currently serving as deputy administrator, as acting commissioner of the agency. The FAA has not had a chief since Mike Whitaker resigned on Jan. 20.
Trump confirmed there are no survivors in the crash and said called the incident a “real tragedy” while thanking the local first responders for being “so quick, so fast” to respond.
FAA employees were not part of a sweeping buyout offer made by Trump to millions of federal employees earlier this week in an attempt to downsize the federal workforce, the Associated Press reported citing an anonymous source.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Army helicopter involved in the crash was was flying from Fort Belvoir, Va., was being flown by “a fairly experienced crew” and was conducting “a required annual night evaluation” flight.
Newly appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ignored a question from a reporter at a press conference Thursday morning asking if an acting director of the FAA has been appointed after the former chief, Whitaker, who was pressured for months by presidential confidant Elon Musk to resign, stepped down earlier this month.
Duffy said the crash was “absolutely” preventable, adding that there was “not a breakdown” in communication between the military helicopter and the commercial plane, and that U.S. military helicopters routinely fly near the Potomac River.
Washington’s Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said emergency responders were switching over from a rescue to a recovery operation, adding “at this point we don’t believe there are any survivors.” Donnelly added that responders have recovered the bodies of 27 of the 64 people onboard the plane and one of the three people onboard the Black Hawk helicopter.
Duffy said authorities located both the crashed aircraft and the passenger plane’s fuselage, which was in split into three and found in waist-deep water in the Potomac River.
After the crash, all takeoffs and landings were halted at Reagan National and officials said operations at the airport will remain halted at least until 11:00 a.m. EST on Thursday.
Trump posted about the incident on his Truth Social platform and questioned the helicopter operator and air controllers’ handling of the situation: “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!!!”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News host Sean Hannity that Trump has been briefed about the incident and both federal and local law enforcement are working “to try to save as many lives as possible.”
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Crucial Quote
“As one nation we grieve for every previous soul that has been taken from us so suddenly,” Trump said. “We are in mourning.”
What Do We Know About The Crash?
A Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet operated by PSA Airlines, a regional carrier owned by American Airlines, collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter while approaching the runway at Reagan airport for landing. The incident took place shortly before 9 p.m. local time according to the FAA. The Bombardier jet—which originated in Wichita, Kansas—was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, American Airlines said, making the flight fairly full (a CRJ700 regional jet can usually seat between 60 and 80 passengers). The chopper involved in the crash was a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter carrying three people, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed in a press conference after midnight on Thursday.
What Do We Know About The Rescue And Recovery Efforts?
In press conference early on Thursday, Donnelly said the first units arrived at the scene at 8:58 p.m. local time, 10 minutes after they first received an alert, “and found an aircraft in the water and began rescue operations.” Donnelly said 300 emergency responders are on the scene and they are working on a “highly complex operation” due to “extremely rough” and windy conditions.
What Do We Know About The Number Of Casualties?
There were 60 people aboard the plane, along with four crew members, and three people in the helicopter. Officials said Thursday there are believed to be no survivors.
What Do We Know About The Passengers Onboard?
Details about the passengers on board the plane and the helicopter are limited. However, U.S. Figure Skating—the official governing body for figure skating in the country—said “several members” of its community were on the plane. “These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the national development camp held in conjunction with the US figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas.” Russian state news outlet TASS reported that a former world champion pairs figure skater duo from the country was also onboard the plane.
What Have Other Federal Officials Said About The Potomac Plane Crash?
Vice President J.D. Vance wrote on X: “Please say a prayer for everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport this evening. We’re monitoring the situation, but for now let’s hope for the best.” Transport Secretary Sean Duffy announced he was “on site at the FAA HQ and closely monitoring the situation,” while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted the Pentagon was “actively monitoring” and is “poised to assist if needed.” Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, tweeted: “We are deploying every available US Coast Guard resource for search and rescue efforts in this horrific incident at DCA.”
Key Background
The area around Reagan National Airport is heavily congested and tightly controlled, with a busy airport sitting in close proximity to sensitive sites like the Pentagon and Washington, D.C. Serious crashes involving large passenger jets are exceedingly rare in the United States. Wednesday’s incident is the first fatal crash of a U.S. commercial airliner since the the Colgan Air crash in upstate New York in 2009, which killed 50 people. It is the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. since Nov. 12, 2001, when an American Airlines flight crashed in New York and killed all 260 people on board. The last crash on U.S. soil involving a commercial airliner took place in 2013, when a plane operated by South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines crashed in San Francisco, killing three people and injuring 187.
Further Reading
U.S. And Russian Figure Skaters Onboard D.C. Plane—What We Know About The Crash Victims (Forbes)
Passenger jet collides with Army helicopter while landing at Reagan Washington National Airport (Associated Press)
