logo
DC plane crash: What we know and don't know

DC plane crash: What we know and don't know

Yahoo31-01-2025

(NewsNation) — Investigators are currently looking into what caused the deadly plane crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. Wednesday evening.
The midair collision between an American Airlines jet with 64 people on it and a Black Hawk military helicopter carrying three soldiers happened shortly before 9 p.m. Officials have said they don't believe anyone on board the aircraft survived the crash.
This crash is likely the deadliest U.S. air disaster in nearly 24 years. It is reminiscent of another that happened on Jan. 13, 1982, when an Air Florida flight plowed into the Potomac due to bad weather, leaving 78 dead.
Here is what we have learned, and what we still don't know, about the plane crash.
What we know about the DC plane crash victims
D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services confirmed Friday morning that 41 bodies have been recovered from the river, including all three soldiers on the Hawk helicopter.
During a news conference Thursday, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said he's confident all of the bodies from the crash will ultimately be recovered.
'It will take us a little bit of time,' he said. 'It may involve some more equipment.'
CBS News analyzed data and found the Black Hawk helicopter was flying above the permitted altitude. This data, from FlightRadar24, showed the helicopter's last estimated altitude was at 375 to about 400 feet at the time of the crash.
President Donald Trump, on Truth Social Friday morning, questioned why the helicopter was 'far above the 200-foot limit.'
'That's not really too complicated to understand, is it???' he wrote.
Experts wondered the same, according to CBS.
'That's the $64 million question that needs to be answered,' Greg Feith, a former senior air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, told the news outlet.
Agencies tasked with investigating the crash will likely direct attention to the Black Hawk's altitude, Steven B. Wallace, a former director of accident investigations for the FAA, said in an interview with CBS.
On Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there appeared to have been an elevation issue with the Black Hawk, Reuters said. Hegseth and the Army have said the three soldiers on the helicopter were experienced — the instructor pilot had 1,000 flying hours, while the other pilot had 500 hours.
It is currently unclear what the black boxes or the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder recovered from the passenger jet said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is examining the recorders, which pick up conversations between crew members and air traffic control and 25 hours of flight data.
NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson said no other recorders were on the airplane. Another one from the helicopter is still being searched for.
Black boxes from the jet are on their way to the NTSB labs, USA Today reported. Data from these black boxes, USA Today wrote, let investigators visualize an airplane's attitude, instrument readings, power settings and other characteristics of the flight.
There was 'communication' between the military helicopter and the American Airlines flight before the two collided, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a Thursday news conference.
Asked further, Duffy described the communication as 'standard.'
'I would say the helicopter was aware there was a plane in the area,' he added.
Congress authorized more flights at Reagan National despite warnings
NTSB officials said the investigation 'will take some time' but their goal is to have a preliminary report on the crash within 30 days.
In the meantime, the NTSB is asking the public not to 'speculate' about the cause, NewsNation partner The Hill writes.
The agency said it is still pulling information such as people involved's personnel records, file and where they were, Brice Banning, a senior aviation accident investigator, said at a press briefing.
'All that information will be part of that investigative process,' he said.
'We have substantial amounts of information. We need to verify information. We need to take our time to make sure it is accurate,' he stated earlier in the briefing.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said the flight manifest with a list of those on the American Airlines jet is expected to be released Friday afternoon after families are notified.
NewsNation's Alex Caprariello, Tom Dempsey, Kevin Bohn and Jacqueline Hughes, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

ABC correspondent Terry Moran let go after post condemning Trump and Miller
ABC correspondent Terry Moran let go after post condemning Trump and Miller

Politico

time33 minutes ago

  • Politico

ABC correspondent Terry Moran let go after post condemning Trump and Miller

Longtime ABC News correspondent Terry Moran is out of job after he made a social media post critical of President Donald Trump and White House Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. The network announced Tuesday that Moran's contract would not be renewed. 'We are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post — which was a clear violation of ABC News policies — we have made the decision to not renew,' the network said in a statement. 'At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism.' Moran's ouster is another victory for a White House that has aggressively pushed back against critics of Trump and his administration, which welcomed the removal of the ABC News correspondent. The network suspended Moran on Sunday after he wrote and later deleted the social media post, which was critical of both Trump and Miller, whom he called a 'world-class hater.' Trump allies seized on Moran's post, accusing him and the network of bias against the Trump administration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called for Moran to be held 'accountable.' Reacting to reports of ABC not renewing Moran's contract on Tuesday, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung welcomed the news. 'Talk shit, get hit,' he wrote on X. The incident adds another win for a White House that has aggressively attacked mainstream media outlets for their coverage of the president. A federal appeals court partially upheld a Trump administration attempt to ban the Associated Press from covering events at the White House. Trump is currently suing CBS for $20 billion over the network's '60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris, Trump's opponent in the 2024 election. CBS is reportedly considering settling the lawsuit. In December, ABC News and its anchor George Stephanopoulos settled a lawsuit with Trump in which they were forced to pay the president $15 million after he accused Stephanopoulos of libel. Moran joined ABC News in 1997. He co-anchored 'Nightline' from 2005 to 2013 before working as the network's chief foreign correspondent for five years. He interviewed Trump in April as part of a special marking the first 100 days of the new administration.

Newsom addresses Trump's threat to arrest him as the two spar over LA riot response: 'Point of no return'
Newsom addresses Trump's threat to arrest him as the two spar over LA riot response: 'Point of no return'

Fox News

time35 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Newsom addresses Trump's threat to arrest him as the two spar over LA riot response: 'Point of no return'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said he has crafted a plan in the event the Trump administration arrests him after he and President Donald Trump went head-to-head over the handling of the immigration protests in Los Angeles. Newsom said he and his team have "processed" what it would mean for him if the Trump administration secured a federal warrant for his arrest, Newsom said in an interview with the "Pod Save America" podcast hosted by former Obama administration officials that aired Monday night. "What's so absurd about that question is I've actually thought about it," Newsom said when asked about preparations in the event authorities take him into custody. "The fact that we are even having that conversation with our folks, and have had that conversation with our folks in the United States in 2025, I mean, it says everything you need to know about who's in the White House right now," Newsom said. Newsom also addressed the arrest threats in an interview with The Washington Post published Tuesday, signaling that the relationship between the two had reached a point beyond repair. "He just threatened my arrest. One would assume, or presume, that's the point of no return," Newsom told The Washington Post. "I'm constitutionally capable of working with people, even those that call for my arrest. So, I remain resolved in that respect, as I remain resolved to have the backs of kids whose lives are being threatened by his authoritarian tendencies." Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, first suggested in an interview with NBC News Saturday that Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could face arrest if they hamper any federal efforts to deport illegal immigrants. In response, Newsom appeared to taunt Homan to take him into custody. "He's a tough guy. Why doesn't he do that? He knows where to find me," Newsom told MSNBC News Sunday. "That kind of bloviating is exhausting. So, Tom, arrest me. Let's go." When asked about threats to arrest Newsom, Trump told reporters Monday that Newsom's primary crime "is running for governor because he's done such a bad job," adding he would arrest Newsom if he were Homan. Newsom voiced disappointment in response to Trump's remarks and cautioned the threats amounted to a step toward authoritarianism. "The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor," Newsom said Monday in a post on X. "This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism." Meanwhile, Homan appeared to soften his original statement, saying an arrest would only happen if a crime were committed by Newsom and Bass. "Well, that whole thing's been taken out of context," Homan said. "They haven't crossed a line yet, but like any other U.S. citizen, if you cross that line, I don't care who they are. The governor, the mayor, whatever — when you commit a crime against ICE officers, we will seek prosecution." Newsom, who was first elected governor in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022, has drawn the ire of Trump for how he's handled multiple issues in his state, including the wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles in January. The two have sparred over Trump's decision to deploy thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to California after protests launched Friday in response to recent arrests in the city by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. While Trump has argued the National Guard troops are necessary to prevent destruction in Los Angeles, Newsom has said the deployment violated California's state sovereignty. State governors usually oversee National Guard troops, but Trump invoked a law to place the troops under federal command so he could circumvent Newsom. On Monday, Newsom said most of the troops "are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders." "This isn't about public safety," Newsom said in a Monday post on X. "It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego."

US, Mexico Near Deal to Cut Steel Duties and Cap Imports
US, Mexico Near Deal to Cut Steel Duties and Cap Imports

Bloomberg

time35 minutes ago

  • Bloomberg

US, Mexico Near Deal to Cut Steel Duties and Cap Imports

The US and Mexico are closing in on a deal that would remove President Donald Trump's 50% tariffs on steel imports up to a certain volume, according to people familiar with the matter, a revamp of a similar deal between the trade partners during his first term. Trump hasn't been directly involved in the negotiations and would need to sign off on any deal. The talks are being led by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, according to the people, who asked not to be identified as the discussions are private. (Source: Bloomberg)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store