Officials have recovered the bodies and identified 55 of the 67 victims from Wednesday’s deadly midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport in the US, AP reported.
Families of the victims visited the crash site Sunday as divers continued searching the wreckage in the frigid Potomac River for additional remains.
Washington, D.C.’s Fire Department and EMS Chief John Donnelly told AP that he is confident all victims will be recovered. He said crews are working around the clock, and divers are battling freezing conditions to locate remains before salvaging the wreckage as early as Monday morning.
Meanwhile, Army Corps of Engineers Col. Francis B. Pera told AP that the recovery process prioritizes human remains over debris removal. He assured families that recovery teams will pause operations if they locate remains to ensure a “dignified recovery.”
“Reuniting those lost in this tragic incident is really what keeps us all going,” Pera said. “We’ve got teams that have been working this effort since the beginning, and we’re committed to making this happen.”
Divers equipped with high-definition cameras are scouring the wreckage of the American Airlines jet carrying 64 people and the Army Black Hawk helicopter with three crew.
The two aircraft collided over the river Wednesday night, leaving no survivors. Investigators have begun collecting evidence to determine what led to the crash.
Family members arrived in police-escorted buses to pay their respects near the crash site. The jet, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, had been approaching the airport for landing when it struck the helicopter that was conducting a training mission.
Federal investigators did not hold a press briefing Sunday but released images of investigators analyzing debris and inspecting a recovered flight data recorder.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy raised key questions about air traffic control operations leading up to the collision. “What was happening inside the towers? Were they understaffed?” Duffy asked on CNN, also questioning the altitude of the Black Hawk and whether its pilots were using night vision goggles.
The Army identified the three helicopter crew members as Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland; and Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach of Durham, North Carolina.
Passengers on the plane included figure skaters returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita and a group of hunters returning from a guided trip.
Preliminary data from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows conflicting altitude readings between the two aircraft. The airline’s flight recorder placed its altitude at 325 feet, plus or minus 25 feet, at the time of the collision. Meanwhile, tower data showed the Black Hawk at 200 feet, the maximum altitude allowed for helicopters in the area.
Investigators hope to reconcile these discrepancies using data from the helicopter’s black box. They also noted that the jet’s flight recorder captured a last-second change in pitch just before the crash, suggesting a possible evasive maneuver.
Investigators expect to release a preliminary report within 30 days, though full investigations typically take over a year.