Authorities involved in the aftermath of the aircraft collision over the Potomac River on Wednesday confirmed they are not expecting any survivors from the incident.
"We are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. We don't believe there are any survivors," said Washington DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly at a press conference on Thursday morning.
64 people were aboard the American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, while the U.S. Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk had three soldiers aboard. So far 27 people have been recovered from the plane and one from the helicopter, Donnelly added.
"We will continue to work to find all the bodies and collect them to reunite them with their loved ones," the official said.
The collision occurred around 9 p.m., when the American Eagle flight, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, earlier in the evening, neared Ronald Reagan National Airport.
A livestream camera at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., seemed to capture the moment of the impact, showing an explosion over the Potomac River at 8:47 p.m. Search and rescue teams, including police boats and divers, began operations overnight.
CBS News reported that the American Eagle jet was only "a few hundred feet off the ground" when it collided with the Army helicopter. The jet was in the final moments of its approach, and depending on the point of impact, "the pilots may never have seen the helicopter coming."
President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the crash and thanked first responders for their efforts. "May God bless their souls," he wrote. On Truth Social, he questioned whether the crash could have been prevented, calling the situation "NOT GOOD!!!" Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was monitoring developments and ready to assist if needed.
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