08-02-2025
Washington DC plane crash disaster happened 10 days ago: What to know
Ten days after a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter collided over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people on board, investigators have recovered most of the debris from the wreckage and worked Saturday to find what might remain on the river floor.
The crash on Jan. 29 involved a military-operated helicopter on a routine training mission and an American Airlines plane about to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from Wichita, Kansas. The collision sent both aircraft into the frigid waters below.
Early morning Saturday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was tasked with performing a scan of the bottom of the Potomac to identify any objects that might remain from the crash, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The collision is the most deadly among several recent deadly aviation disasters across the country. Days later, the fatal crash of a Medevac jet in Philadelphia killed seven people and injured more than 20 others. On Thursday, a small airplane carrying 10 people in Alaska went missing and was found crashed amid sea ice on Friday with all presumed dead.
Here's what to know about the investigation into the deadliest aviation disaster in over two decades:
Where the investigation stands
A preliminary report on the crash from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected in late February. NTSB officials have said little about the cause of the crash as the investigation continues.
NTSB investigators have interviewed all five people working in the control tower at the time of the collision, collected data from the black boxes recovered from the aircraft, obtained maintenance and flight logs, and have begun piecing together a timeline of the events leading up the crash, synchronizing flight data and communications.
The wreckage from both aircraft will be placed in a hangar at DCA to be inspected by investigators, the NTSB said. They will examine cockpit switch positions and instrument readings. The NTSB said further inspection of the helicopter would help determine details under intense national scrutiny like the altitude it was flying at.
Investigators scan bottom of river Saturday
To help divers identify additional items for removal from the Potomac, NOAA was set to fly a low-altitude TopoBathy lidar flight overnight, officials said. The technology uses a green laser to scan the river floor and help investigators map out its layout.
The scan was scheduled from 2 to 5 a.m. Saturday, the NTSB said. Passersby would be able to see the green laser, which is safe to look at, but local police said direct eye contact should be avoided.
Crews finished retrieving all the "major components" of both the helicopter and the plane out of the Potomac River earlier this week, officials said, but some parts were still unaccounted for. That included the right engine and tail rotor, the NTSB said on Thursday.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, Chris Kenning and Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY; Reuters
