their skills as they were going to move forward in this sport that they love so much. >> just absolutely devastating. i got chills when you say that this is this was the future of this program. christine brennan, thank you very much for bringing us that update this morning. although i'm very sorry to have heard that update. and again, here we are waiting on a news conference from washington, d.c. officials. it is expected at 7:30 a.m. this morning as we wait to hear the status of this. what has been a search and rescue operation throughout the night, but which we are waiting to find out at what point it may become a search and recovery operation. because, as you can see, they still are desperately searching the river. but at this hour we know that no survivors have been pulled from the frigid, icy potomac river. of course, now the sun coming up

behind me. we are set to learn more throughout the day. stay with cnn as we continue to cover this breaking news coverage. i'm kasie hunt. don't go anywhere. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> all right. >> john berman here with. >> kate bolduan and sara sidner. the major breaking news, a deadly mid-air collision. >> over the potomac. >> river in. >> washington with many feared dead. you're looking at live pictures right now, and we are standing by for a news conference shortly. and with this daylight, you are seeing hundreds of first responders, including divers, are in the water searching for any survivors. but we should set expectations. as of now, we have not heard of any. these are the facts as we know them. 60 passengers and four crew were on board the american eagle flight, 5342 from wichita, kansas, to washington as it was landing in d.c. around 9 p.m., it collided

with a u.s. army blackhawk helicopter that was said to be on a training flight. there were three soldiers on board the helicopter. earth cam video shows the moment of impact there, right there in that spot. shadow a light on the left, right there is the collision and an explosion. there is new audio from air traffic control from before and after the collision. the control tower communicates with the helicopter pilot who reported he had the plane in sight. then, less than 13 seconds later, controllers are gasping. >> for james risch. pat 2-5 pam bondi zain verjee club has an. >> aircraft in sight separation separates. >> support 72 washington star one. star 32017.

>> crash crash crash. this is alert three. crash crash crash, this is alert three. this is operations. was at a hugh hewitt and ossama anjiem. uh, that is affirmative. uh. kilo or j president xi three. >> all right. we have heard from president trump, and we are now beginning to hear from loved ones of those on the flight. u.s. figure skating has confirmed that several members of the skating community were on board. the group was returning home from a development camp that had just ended in kansas. as we said, there's a civilian craft in play here. a u.s. army helicopter. first, let's go to the pentagon for information on what that black hawk was doing and what you're hearing this morning. natasha bertrand. >> well, john, we've heard. >> from a number of u.s. army and defense officials that this black hawk was conducting a training mission. and this was a black hawk, u.s. army black hawk that was based out of fort belvoir, virginia. but it's still unclear where exactly it took off from before. of course, it was approaching near ronald

reagan airport and ultimately collided with that passenger jet. we're also told that there were three crew members on board that black hawk at the time, three u.s. army soldiers. and while this was a seemingly a priority air transport, which is a call sign that is used sometimes when these blackhawks carry vips, for example, senior u.s. government officials, we are told that there were no senior u.s. government officials on board at the time. it was these three u.s. army soldiers. now, we're also told at this point that the army is conducting an investigation in conjunction with the ntsb, with the faa, and with the broader department of defense, secretary of defense pete hegseth. he also said in a tweet last night, absolutely tragic search and rescue efforts, still ongoing prayers for all impacted souls and their families. and he said that an investigation was launched immediately by the army and the department of defense. the army, for its part, still really trying to get its arms

around what exactly happened here. it's worth noting that these blackhawks, they fly around d.c. all the time, they take off and they land right here at the pentagon, and they often are carrying senior u.s. army officials. that was not the case last night, but there are obviously going to be a lot of questions here about why that blackhawk did not appear to be able to get out of the way of that passenger plane, something that they will be obviously looking into and investigating with the faa, with the ntsb, with the broader department here in the hours to come. john. >> all right. natasha bertrand at the pentagon. >> all right. >> let's go back, live. >> to the scene where rene marsh has been all this morning. what are you learning about those families? who are many of them waiting at dca, waiting to hear any word from authorities about the the loved ones who they are

hoping beyond hope may have survived this right. >> so so what we know is that we're expecting. we're hearing we're expecting several press conferences today from the ntsb, from the mayor of washington, d.c. so we're waiting for those sort of updates. but as far as families go, we know that american airlines has put out a hotline for families who have, uh, family members who are on board this commercial regional jet, uh, as a means of support, as well as giving them the most up to date information. uh, as we said back out here live, i mean, we are hearing lots of activity above by way of choppers. and this is the first daylight that we are seeing since this mid-air collision occurred. we know that it happened just last night at 848. so again, the first daylight. but this is a moment that that

families are really holding on to hope. however, as time goes on, rescuers say that the chances of finding people just becomes just more grim. we know that there are also family members waiting in the airport, uh, hoping for information, hoping for the best. i want you to take a listen to this soundbite from this man who says that he spoke to his wife via text message. and here's what he said. she told him in her last message to him. i am just praying. >> that somebody is pulling her out of the river. >> right now as we speak. that's all. i can pray for. i'm just praying to god. >> when was the last time. >> you. >> spoke with her? >> she texted me. we were laying that they were landing in 20 minutes. can you show us a text. >> message that you got. >> from her? landing in 20 minutes? the rest? i texted didn't did not get

delivered. that's when i realized something might be up. >> so that husband doing the only thing that he can do at this moment, which is holding on to hope. more about what we know about the passengers on board. we know the u.s. figure skating governing body has confirmed to cnn that several of their members were on board this commercial regional jet, coming back from a training camp in wichita, kansas. we also know that two russian champion figure skaters were also on board. again, the numbers 60 passengers and four crew members. but again, just an agonizing wait for those who know they had family on board this flight. and they are just, quite frankly, just holding on to hope that some sort of miracle where they are pulled out and pulled out alive. back to you guys. >> yeah, it definitely sends shivers down your spine knowing

that that text message came through. and then part of it didn't make it. hearing from that husband who is awaiting any word of his wife who was on that flight. thank you so much to you. rene marsh, we're still looking at those live pictures of the scene where there are hundreds of first responders trying to search the area. over to you, kate. >> let's talk more about this right now. joining us right now is mary schiavo. she's a former inspector general at the department of transportation. and captain dennis tager, a spokesperson for the allied pilots association, which represents the pilots of american airlines. an important note on this, given the horrific circumstances, this plane that went down is american owned but is a regional plane. the pilots involved are represented by a different union. thank you both for being here. mary. what do you see in this crash so far? what are your first questions about all this? i know you've been watching this from late last night as well. >> well, my first questions concern, of course. clearances. who was cleared to be in the

airspace? and also my question centers around altitudes. what altitude was the helicopter supposed to be operating at? and then the third question is equipment. you know, the collision avoidance equipment was certainly on the aircraft. it's required by law. what equipment did the helicopter have? and if they had any equipment at all for collision avoidance, was it operable at the altitude that they were at when the collision occurred? we know the air traffic control was corresponding, was communicating with both the aircraft was cleared and making its final approach to land, which means it had clearance for that airspace to get into the airport and land. and then i noticed, and this is just me reading the radar, but there were 30, 350ft, and obviously there will be a great investigation. is that the altitude the helicopter was supposed to be at? i mean, the plane certainly was, you know, very much on final and was cleared into the airport. so the

communication said to the last ones that we know of at least said to the. helicopter, do you have the plane in sight? and that means that the helicopter was supposed to see and avoid the aircraft. but there's many more questions, especially as i said, about equipment that was available on the helicopter to help them navigate, to help them avoid the aircraft and training. what equipment were they using? were they using any special equipment in the helicopter? you know, night vision goggles, for example, to help them train at night? et cetera. many, many questions. but both the defense department has an investigation team, which they always do for a defense department accident. and the ntsb and already i'm sure they have many leads and have pulled all the records of the airline, the equipment and are coordinating with the military. >> yeah captain taylor, you've been with american for 30 plus years. this is just horrific on so many levels for so many

people, including devastating for the piloting community. what are your thoughts? >> absolutely. >> and mary made. >> some great points. >> but our thoughts and prayers, we have to keep remembering this just happened for the passengers. the crews on both aircraft and their families, and those first responders risking life and limb to rescue and now likely to recover. courage beyond belief. to some of the points that mary brought up, questions are going to be asked. they're going to be found through as she knows and the world knows. the ntsb will go deep dive into this, but some of those equipment issues, what are the procedures and most importantly, what are the procedures taking into account to trap error? that's what this business is really all about. i haven't had a perfect flight in my entire career. it's always a little something you can do better. so what clearances do they give to helicopters to transverse and then assume perhaps there's a

misidentification or directions are not complied with. what traps that error? and to get to the technology we do have collision avoidance systems on the airplane. but on my aircraft and i don't think it's that dissimilar as you get closer to the ground, because the pilot is focused on landing the aircraft and on my aircraft below 500ft, the audio alert, traffic alerts is inhibited. so the direction and the actual alert. so i'll focus on landing on the runway at night. i'm not going to get any sound alert because there shouldn't be any air traffic that close to the runway. so a lot of questions, a lot of speculation will hold on. what the reasons were, will recognize what facts we do have currently to keep us safe. but most importantly, we've got to ask everyone involved, what are we going to do to prevent this from ever happening again. >> ever happening again? captain, your perspective on that and what that was going to be, my question is you have flown into dc many a time. it is

known to be a challenging airport to land in. i've seen that it requires additional training for pilots who operate from it. what makes it so challenging? >> it's very unique. not only is it congested, the runways are quite short as well, but you have the airspace is restricted. the prohibited areas that protect our our capital rightfully so. so it's a precarious balance of security and jamming in as many airplanes as you can get in there. because demand is so high. now, i don't mean that as a pejorative. it's just the effort to have free commerce into our nation's capital. however, you can lose track of the balance of the safety margin across the entire us with with strained air traffic control systems. and this is not looking into this incident, but you've got all the things stacked up against you. and for instance, in the dca was in there just recently. we have to brief special

procedures into dca because of the, the the challenge it is. and now throw in night. and you don't have to be a pilot to realize this. you look out your window and it looks like a preponderance of lights on the ground mixing with airplanes. it's a very challenging environment to call out. yes, i have visual with the aircraft that you're identifying, and then that's just trusting that you're seeing the right airplane. we've got to find out what the things that trap an error are. and if they're not there, build those traps, make them stronger because we have got to protect the american public's trust in this system. and stop these prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again. >> absolutely captain. you have flown with american airlines for more than 30 years, and you've flown in and out of dca. can you help take us inside the cockpit once again? what all is going on? we know that they were

cleared for landing. what all is going on on those final minutes of approach into dca? there's talk of runway three three. take me into the mind of the pilot landing. that was on approach. >> absolutely. if you sat in the cockpit, you might think, boy, there's not much going on, but we have procedures we're relying on. and inside the pilot's head, the process of looking ahead of the airplane, flying the aircraft, taking into account the weather, traffic, it's all happening there, and it is a cacophony of activity. and many times it is two pilots. some are talking about taking away one of the pilots, talking to each other. hey, do you see the traffic? roger? i do see it. it's it's at 1:00. confirmation. and it's all there to ensure that we're trapping any errors that might happen. and there's a cross-check. you to give you an idea of how we operate as pilots. we're a bit of a group of officers. we're looking for the next mistake. and that is

not to provide any type of alarm for passengers. that's to give you the comfort that we're not looking for that everything going well, we're looking at when things don't go well of stopping that trend. the saying goes, you have to investigate accidents before they happen, not after, to get long term fixes. so, um, that's where we are. it's it's it's extremely challenging, but we're up for the task. we have the technology, the procedures. we just have to ensure that everyone is backing everyone else up. and complacency has no place in our skies today, and we've got to make sure that we maintain that attitude. it's a fight out there. >> i mean, a midair collision is just so incredibly rare. um, because of all of the work that's been done to catch these errors. but something very clearly went so very, very wrong here. mary schiavo. thank you, captain taylor. taylor, thank you very much for coming in. thank you so much. we're going to continue with our breaking news coverage of this. next,

we're going to speak to an eyewitness who recorded the moments immediately after as first responders were arriving on the scene. >> still congested? >> nope. >> uh oh. >> new mucinex 2. >> in 1 saline nasal spray. >> spray. goodbye. >> new mucinex. >> 2 in 1 saline nasal spray with a gentle mist and innovative power jet spray. goodbye to congestion. its comeback season. >> love love will. keep us together. >> now for something you can both agree on a sleep number. smart bed is perfect for couples. the climate 360 smart bed is the only bed that cools and warms on each side, and all our smart beds adjust the firmness for each of you. let's agree to agree on better sleep. and now save 50% on the new sleep number. limited edition smart bed plus 0% interest for 36 months. shop now. >> when caroline has a cough, she takes robitussin so she can

have those one on ones again. >> hey jim, can we talk about casual fridays? >> oh sure. >> what's up? get fast. powerful cough relief with robitussin and find your voice. >> doesn't for generations, this ally to the north has been by your side. >> ontario, canada a partner connected by shared history, shared values, and a shared vision for what we can achieve together, stable and secure. when the world around us isn't. you can rely on ontario for energy to power your growing economy and for the critical minerals crucial to new technologies. ontario is your third largest trading partner, and the number one export destination for 17 states. our long standing economic partnership keeps millions of americans working in a changing world. it's time to bring jobs back home and build together more workers, more trade, more

prosperity, more security. for generations, this ally to the north has been here, and for generations more. we'll still be here, right by your side. >> advil liquid. >> gels are faster. >> and stronger than tylenol rapid release gels, also from advil. advil targeted relief, the only topical with four powerful pain fighting ingredients that start working on contact and lasts up to eight hours. >> your gut is like a garden, growing both good bacteria and

bad. that balance is key to a healthy gut environment. benefiber is plant based. prebiotic fiber gently nourishes the good bacteria, worki for all those making it big out there... ...shouldn't your mobile service be able to keep up with you? get wifi speeds up to a gig at home and on the go. introducing powerboost, only from xfinity mobile. now that's big. xfinity internet customers, cut your mobile bill in half vs. t-mobile, verizon, and at&t for your first year.

plus, ask how to get the new samsung galaxy s25+ on us. confidence, higher price cheaper. see if you qualify at irokotv. >> all right. we are standing by for a news conference from washington. you're looking at live pictures right there. the lectern is all set up. this is for the latest on the mid-air collision of american flight 5342. and a u.s. army black hawk helicopter. many people are feared dead this morning. this is what witnesses saw over the potomac we were watching the planes land, and they were all lined up in a row perfectly, you know, and then we sort of saw these white flares start flying out of the sky. so we were kind of concerned. and then shortly after we saw all the planes disperse and go their own ways. they all, like, went around. all right. let's try to explain exactly what happened here. as far as we understand it at this time. this is the american

airlines flight approaching reagan national airport, which is right here. it's approaching it flying to the northwest to approach on this runway. you see right here. this is the line it's taking in. right here is the helicopter flying from north to south. you can see it is on the washington side of the potomac river, almost hugging washington, d.c. that is a corridor used by helicopters along the potomac, often for training flights. let's take a look at the aircrafts involved here. the american flight was a bombardier crj 700. this is a single aisle, two seats on both sides. it's an aircraft much like this one. it was pretty full. 60 passengers, four crew, the u.s. army, uh, 60 black hawk helicopter. it holds 12 people. there were three on board, but it is a big, powerful aircraft. i'm going to show the video that we have of the collision. i know it is difficult to look at, but it's a little instructive as to what happened here. let me

x this out and play the video. all right. that's a wide angle right there. you're going to see a closer view in just one second i want to pause it. you can see the two different aircraft right here light here and a light here. and one thing i just want to point out is how low they are. they're very, very close to the ground, relatively speaking. that's because the plane was coming in for a landing and a helicopter was operating close to the ground. if we keep on playing this, you see the two blips of light. and then you see the collision right there. again, witnesses saw this, cameras saw this. we are waiting for much more information on how it happened. the helicopter was certainly aware of the aircraft at that time. these are some of the questions we have at this moment. >> all right. some people who live along the potomac have been anxiously waiting and watching as the search and rescue operations are appearing outside

their windows. abdi ishmael took his video from his home of crews searching the water. you are looking at that video right now. he is joining us live. abdi, thank you so much for joining us. can you first tell us you have these huge windows that overlook the potomac? what did you see last night outside of the window? >> so it was somewhere around. >> 8:50 p.m. >> i was. >> uh. >> in my living room when i heard two bang, bang. >> around 8:50 p.m. it was loud. it was unusual. it was something you only hear on video games. on movies. something i have never experienced. uh, that's what i call my attention. and i start looking at the window right there, and immediately i saw the smoke on the south side of the runway near i would say, uh, the washington sailing marina. um,

never, ever could i have thought that this is a plane crash, but it was a smoke. i didn't, i you know, i have an advantage view here of the reagan airport, the military base, the potomac and anacostia river. um, then i took a few shots of the helicopters that are flying. i noticed these boats are getting deployed from the wharf station. bcpd arlington police, u.s. coast guard. so something was not right happening. uh, keep in mind, this is the water at the potomac is. some areas are still frozen river. and we're talking about frozen river. i just saw a few air boats. those are special boats that they can maneuver. all of this ice to get into the sites. okay, so the rescue mission is complicated enough. and add to that the night scene, the night vision, the water temperature we're talking about every morning i go down the

marina. the water temperature is 39 degrees as we speak. so hypothermia is absolutely inevitable. and we're talking about a minute to five minutes at the very most. so what i've seen is something i could never imagine. uh, it's devastating to even think that d.c. could have another crash. uh, you know, uh, looking back at the history that something happened back in the 90s as well. and, you know, just what the captain said. this is a major traffic area. we have three airports here. reagan airport is right there. dulles airport is about 30 minutes. and then you have. baltimore. um, airport. so a very heavy, heavy, dense traffic. and just based on my experience, when i look at the tv, uh, or when i look at the traffic, most of the planes fly north, going south, north of the potomac, going south to the potomac, uh, toward the reagan airport. so this is how i've been witnessing all of the

planes. >> can you tell me what you are seeing right now? because you have these this incredible view of the potomac, and you talked about the fact that you heard this crash before you saw the result of the sound that you heard. so you're that close. what are you seeing right now, this morning, as you talk about how there are frozen patches all over the potomac and how cold that water is, that rescuers are trying to navigate this morning that is correct. >> so i see, uh, at least two gigantic commercial, uh uh, vessels, uh, at the crash sites. i see handful of rescue boats. also, we're talking about eight boats on the crash sites on the east side of the river. besides the military base, uh, anacostia boiling. uh, i see air boats. i

see helicopters. it's a very active scene at the potomac right now. um, they come and go. it's, uh yeah sorry. >> i'll let you get. something of water there. i just want to remind people what we are looking at right now. we are looking at live pictures of what you're describing. abdi. yeah. um, where you're seeing all of these. rescue boats on the water there, and you're seeing the remnants of the crash. you can see the helicopter. and every now and then you can see the remnants of the plane. i know that you've never, you said, experienced something like this, but you were in this particularly interesting position where you're seeing all of the traffic that goes to and from not only this airport, but the other two airports, dulles and as you talked about

baltimore, um, that are there. what are you experiencing now after watching this? and did you see after you heard the sound, did you see the breakup of the plane and sort of where that was from your vantage point? >> so it's very dark at night. it was 9 p.m. hard to really even, you know, to think that there is a plane crash. my main concern as being a master captain at the u.s. coast guard is the search and rescue mission. we're talking about the currents at the potomac. is is very strong. we're talking about, i don't know, you know, if the rescue, the search and rescue mission is still underway. we're talking about a current that could probably and possibly have taken some of the bodies 2 to 3 miles, maybe even farther down the river. we're talking about all the way to, uh, 3 or 4 miles south of the

potomac. uh, this is very possible, given that this water have taken a lot of lives here in the d.c. area during the summertime when people go boating and the current is very strong like it. we've been advised not to swim here in general, but i you know, i'm just trying to think about what how is these families could just go through the emotions and believe that maybe there is a hope. we hope there is a hope. i have friends that are working under, you know, around the clock now with dc park. they have been calling, telling us there's about 4 to 5 people that they were able to recover their bodies. i don't know about the details yet, but we will wait for the official statement. >> were you seeing from your vantage point? just a horrific scene. abdi ismail, thank you so much for joining us and giving us your perspective, your view there out of your windows. we really appreciate it this morning, kate. >> let's head back to reagan national airport, where any moment now we are going to be

getting really the first update since first light about this mid-air crash and disaster. you see officials gathering there right now. our cnn's arlette saenz is standing by at this press conference. can you set the scene for us? arlette. >> as to. >> what the fatalities are, what the numbers are? >> yeah, we are. kate just waiting potentially moments away from hearing an update from local officials about the operation that's been underway, the search and rescue operation underway overnight to see if there are any survivors from this collision between that airline. american airlines passenger aircraft and that army blackhawk helicopter. now, as you can see, there are several law enforcement officials already on the scene. this includes d.c. fire and ems, as well as members from the arlington fire department. we are expecting to get an update from the washington, dc mayor, dc mayor muriel bowser, as well as the dc fire and ems chief john a donnelly senior. early this morning. they talked about the very dangerous conditions

that these search and rescue teams were facing as they were diving into these waters, these waters overnight were incredibly dark. it was incredibly frigid. there were estimates that the temperatures in those waters could be around 36 degrees in the coldest parts of these nights. but now these search and rescue teams are working. as day has started to break here in washington, d.c., you can see sunlight over the potomac river. now, there are so many questions going forward, not just about the investigation, but also specifically the search and rescue operations that have been underway. the fatalities have been confirmed in law enforcement. officials overnight had said that no survivors so far had been pulled out. we are still waiting to hear whether there had been any further developments on that front. of course, there are so many questions right now that families want to get some answers to. we know that american airlines had set up a staging area here at reagan national airport overnight.

it's in a different part of the airport than where we are, but this is somewhere where families who are trying to pick up their loved ones could come to assemble. now, it does appear that we see d.c. mayor muriel bowser. she's about to step up to the podium, so hopefully we will get some more information about where this search and rescue operation stands, where potentially the investigation stands, and hopefully some answers for the families of the survivors who have been holding out hope. >> we have these live pictures up right here waiting for the mayor of washington, d.c., muriel bowser, to begin the news conference. let's listen in. >> air busan.

>> good morning. i'm muriel bell. >> i'm the mayor of. >> washington. >> d.c. we are. here at reagan national airport. uh, to provide an update on the tragic events of last night. i'm joined by u.s. transportation secretary sean duffy, d.c. fire and ems chief john john donnelly. uh, american airlines ceo robert isom, the mwaa the washington metropolitan washington airports authority ceo jack porter, un united states senator mark warner, united states senator tim kaine, u.s. representative don beyer, as well as the chief of the metropolitan police department pamela smith. uh, and we are joined by first

responders from across the metropolitan washington region. i speak for all of us when i say, and certainly all washingtonians, how very sad we are for american airlines, for the united states department of defense, and for all americans, for the loss of life that happened with the collision of these aircrafts. we know that includes families from across our region, as well as in kansas and across the country. this morning, we all share in a profound sense of grief. i do want to thank the first responders who acted quickly last night, who ran towards danger, went into a very frigid river, and have worked throughout the night. uh, chief donnelly reported in last night's last night's briefing that we have a strong mutual aid agreement in our region, and those teams have worked together

throughout the night and really tough and heartbreaking conditions, and we should all thank them for their heroic efforts. so we'll have several updates today. i'm first going to turn to the secretary of transportation, sean duffy, and then you will hear directly from chief john donnelly with a situational update. >> thank you, mayor. again. >> sean duffy here, secretary of. >> transportation. >> we wish. >> we were. >> gathering for different purposes today. >> i just want to let you know that. >> the department of transportation, the faa, along with the white house, president trump, local state, uh, and federal partners all working together on this incident in unison. i couldn't be prouder of this team that's been assembled, working tirelessly. >> i want to thank you specifically for your work. >> uh, a few details i'd. >> like to give all.

>> of you, uh, and some of you have reported this, but last night, if you live in the dc area, you would know that this was a clear night last night. the helicopter was in a standard pattern. if you live in the dc area, you'll see helicopters up and down the river. this flight pattern is seen oftentimes when you live in dc. this was a standard flight pattern last night as well. the american airlines flight coming in to land was in a standard flight pattern. as it was coming into dc, so this was not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at dca. and again, if you live in the area, you'll see that frequently. um, with uh, those two aircraft working together. as many of you have reported, we have located the, uh, the the two aircrafts, uh, the fuselage

of the american. airlines, uh, plane was inverted. it's been located in three different sections. uh, it's in about waist deep water. so that recovery is going to go on today. uh, as that recovery takes place of the of the fuselage of the aircraft. uh, the ntsb is going to start to analyze that aircraft, partner with the faa with all the information we have to get the best results possible for the american people. i would just say that safety is our expectation. everyone who flies in american skies expects that we fly safely, that when you depart an airport, you get to your destination. that didn't happen last night, and i know that president trump, his administration, the faa, the dot. we will not rest until we have answers for the families and for the flying public. you should be assured that when you fly, you're safe. thank you.

eric. >> is that yours? >> thank you secretary. thank you mayor. i'm joined today by with fire chief bonnett from the metropolitan washington airports authority. and i'm john donnelly, chief of the district of columbia fire and ems department. uh, last night at 848, the control tower sounded an alert which alerts responders to respond to a report of an aircraft crash on or near the airport that sets off an immediate response from the airport authority fire department from the district of columbia and metropolitan harbor patrol. fireboats and other fire boats on the river in order to support that type of operation. uh, very quickly, this call escalated. it became apparent, you know, the responders realized that they had a plane crash. um, and immediately escalated to a response that

ultimately included about 300 people. last night, uh, these responders found extremely frigid conditions. they found heavy wind. they found ice on the water, and they're operated all night in those conditions. i'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the agencies that responded. in addition to d.c. fire and ems and the metropolitan washington airports authority, montgomery county fire department, the prince george's county fire department, the charles county fire department, the baltimore county police department, the anne arundel county fire department, the alexandria fire department, the arlington county fire department, the fairfax fire department, the prince william fire department, the baltimore city police department, the maryland state police, the maryland natural resources police, the department of defense, the joint base in um bolling fire department, and uh, the staff there, the us army, the u.s. coast guard, the united states park police, the

metropolitan police department, the fbi and the ntsb. um, despite all those efforts, we are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. um, at this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident. and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter. uh, the district office of the medical examiner has lead on reuniting these bodies and these people with their loved ones. and we will continue to work to find all the bodies and collect them and reunite them with their loved ones. we should also acknowledge that the virginia medical examiner and the. army medical examiner are involved in this operation. and a very important part of getting the people. identified. so.

>> our hearts are certainly with all of the crew and american airlines, and we'll hear from ceo isom. >> thank you. mayor. uh, good morning. i'm robert isom, the ceo of american airlines. i want to express my sincere condolences for the accident that happened at dca last night. we're absolutely heartbroken for the family and loved ones, of the passengers and crew members, and also for those that were on the military aircraft. our focus right now is doing everything that we can to support all of those involved. and also the psa airlines team. this is devastating. it's, um, we are all hurting incredibly. we urge any family and friends looking for information about their loved ones to call our designated helpline. and that's

at one( 800) 679-8215. one( 800) 679-8215 and here's what i can share at this early stage american airlines american eagle flight 5342, operated by psa airlines, traveling from wichita, kansas, to reagan national airport, was involved in an accident just before 9 p.m. local time on final approach into reagan national. it collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach, and at this time, we don't know why the military aircraft came into the path of the psa aircraft. flight 5342, a crj 700 was under the command of four crew members. it carried 60 passengers, as you know, for a total of 64 people on board. in addition to local resources already here in dc, american airlines has activated our care team, and that's a group of

specialists that are trained to support these types of responses. these team members are on site, are arriving soon, and additionally, we have members of our go team that are on the ground here in dc and they're being deployed with resources to do everything that we can to take care of the needs of the families and the loved ones, of the passengers and crew members. and that is our sole focus, and we're so grateful for the first responders. they've been working through the night. courageous efforts, and we're actively working with local, state and federal authorities on emergency response efforts and closely coordinating with psa airlines as they cooperate fully with the ntsb on the investigation. i know that there are many questions, and at this early stage, i just won't be able to answer many, but we'll provide additional information as it comes. thank you.

>> i want to introduce the metropolitan washington airports authority ceo, jack potter, the authority manages washington, reagan, washington national and dulles international. >> good morning. >> and thank. >> you, mayor. >> first, let me begin. >> by expressing our. >> condolences for all the victims of this flight and for their families. there's a lot of grieving going on. and so we're very sympathetic to that. i want to echo what was said about the first responders. when there's a problem in this area, everybody drops everything and they rush to wherever the problem is. so i want to thank the chief, the entire team from washington dc. but just as important, the list of folks that the chief described, the federal authorities have been here. and mass. and so a lot of effort was brought to bear. unfortunately,

we weren't able to rescue anyone. but we are in the recovery mode right now. and i just want to, you know, last night i expressed the fact that we hope to open at 11:00 today, and that is still the case. we're going to open the airport at 11:00. and again, condolences to the families. and thanks to the many, many who are still out there working very, very hard to complete this recovery. thank you mayor. thank you. >> um, i do want to acknowledge that the virginia transportation secretary is here, in addition to the alexandria mayor, and i will like to ask members of the virginia, um, congressional delegation to the podium next, u.s. senator mark warner, followed by tim kaine and representative don beyer. >> thank you.

>> mayor. >> i want. >> to join. >> with everyone else and express my condolences. for the. >> victims. >> for folks who don't. >> live in. >> the. >> dmv. >> um, we. >> are made up of. >> a lot of jurisdictions. >> reagan airports. >> and. >> virginia. >> across the river. >> we have maryland. obviously the. >> district. >> but has been. >> indicated by the. >> chief. um, when tragedy happens. all those distinctions between the various jurisdictions and our federal partners all disappear. and i want to again, thank all the first responders. on a personal note, i'll just add that literally. i now know i was coming back from the district from a dinner to my home in old town alexandria, and while i did not see the collision, um, i wondered why i'd never seen this many red lights streaming towards the airport and across the river in maryland. about

this time. um, my phone started blowing up and i realized that this accident had taken place. there will be a time to figure it out. i know ntsb will have a briefing later in the day. um, but to the victims, our condolences to the first responders. our thanks. um, sorrow, thanks. >> and questions. >> so sorrow, as all have expressed to the crew, to the passengers. >> to the soldiers. >> to their families. >> to their friends, to their loved ones, to people who are. still trying to get information and unsure whether their loved ones have. >> been lost. >> we offer. >> our profound. >> condolences to them and our sorrow for this tragedy. thanks. i'll echo mayor, what you began with. when you see a challenge like this and you see people from so many different agencies local, state, federal, with different uniforms, different badges, but working in such a coordinated way, even in the

midst of a tragedy, it does give you a sense of appreciation and pride in people's willingness to come to the danger and work together. and i started to see that as a local official. 30 years ago in richmond, and definitely have seen it here. and then finally, questions there are going to be a lot of questions. obviously, a lot of questions. and that's what the ntsb job is, is to be an independent investigator of incidents like this. and they are here. we were in dialog with them earlier today. they've been here since they got the alert, and they will be doing the work and playing lead in answering the many questions that we have. and that's as it should be. it's not a time to speculate. it's a time to investigate and get answers to the questions we need. and i have confidence that will be done. thank you. >> following up on the senator, i. think grief thanks and service. with millions and. >> millions of americans traveling every. >> year. >> we are all.

>> grieving. >> knowing that it could have been our loved ones. it could have been us. and our hearts. go out to all those who have lost folks in a most partisan place. also, it's i'm really thankful that democrats and republicans, people from all over, have come together to try to make sure that the people are served as the local representative. i want the families to know that our office is available to serve you in any way we possibly can through this time of grief and transition and loss. um, and then also just note that we're deeply grateful for the people who risked their lives last night on a moment's notice and spent the whole night on the river in the ice and the wind, um, do serving us. and then finally as as. senator kaine. senator warner noted, um, after the ntsb investigation, we've got to make sure that at the federal level and with the support of virginia and maryland, dc, we're doing everything we can to make sure this does not happen again.

>> so with that, it's been said already that the national transportation safety board becomes the lead agency in the investigation. our jurisdiction and in dc, where the crash occurred over the river, is. concludes as we in the leadership role of the unified command, as we shift to a recovery effort, we expect the national transportation safety board to provide briefings to the press later in the day. so at this point, we can take a few questions. yes. >> can you say. without a. >> shadow of. >> a doubt. >> that people are. >> safe to fly? >> um, what we're talking what we can talk about today is what happened here with the collision of these vehicles. um, we said

what we know and that the national transportation safety board continues to investigate. i don't know that any of us have been briefed on anything that would suggest any other aircraft or implicated. yes. >> you're still. missing 30. >> plus people in the water. >> what are some of the. >> challenges in recovering them. >> right now? chief? >> um, so the rescue operation or the recovery operation goes on. it's a lot of touch and feel in the different parts of the plane or in the helicopter. and, um, the crash area is a little spread out, so we've got some work to do. um, and i think it's a pretty normal type of situation. i don't think it's extraordinary. >> how spread out is this debris field? >> um, so the wind started blowing last night. so we've had debris travel from the airport down as far as the wilson bridge. >> mile wise, how far is that? >> uh, i couldn't tell you. less than a mile. >> this is a question. >> for.

>> um. >> ceo carter. um. you're going to open. >> the. >> airport at 11:00 this morning. >> how are. >> you going to do that? >> and what impact is that going to have on operations, on passengers, on people's anxiety? how are we going to reduce? >> well, we're going to open the airport at 11:00. it's safe. we've worked with all the federal agencies, faa, uh, and, you know, it's been determined that we can open that airport safely. the recovery effort that's on our property is on the waterfront. our primary runway, one 119, will be open. it's away from any activity. we're going to have a secure area around that. so all are comfortable that we can get back to operations. now, each airline will announce or communicate to their passengers what, what their operations are going to be. obviously, their networks were disrupted overnight and so we might have a slow recovery. but the bottom line is we will

begin to have aircraft move in and out of this airport at 11:00. >> okay. >> so one, two, three. >> the flight recorders and recovery, the black box at all. >> i don't think we can say anything about what's in ntsb purview. >> you mentioned the airport opens three. >> hours. >> from now. >> there's a lot of helicopter. >> traffic from. >> the military. >> u.s. park police and all that. will helicopters be flying right through here as well? uh, beyond the recovery. >> efforts? >> um, i don't know the answer to that. jack, do you have anything to add? we don't have anything to add about that. yes. >> mr. secretary, can you read americans that the u.s. still has the safest airspace in the world? >> so the question is, can i guarantee the american flying public that the united states has the most safe and secure airspace in the world? and the answer to that is absolutely yes we do. we have early indicators of what happened here. and i will tell you with complete

confidence, we have the safest airspace in the world. >> when it comes to these things and tragically lost their loved ones. what does that look like so far? has it been informed the flight manifest? is there any details you can provide on that? right? >> i assume you can you add. >> anything? >> all i can say is that we have published the one 800 number. we have family assistance centers set up here in dca. we do in wichita as well. i'm not at liberty to give the number of, of of families that have been, uh, that have used those services. but we are making that use. we have over 100 team members that are either here or on their way that are specially trained to work with family members, handle travel arrangements, hotel arrangements, incidentals to make sure that we're taking care

of people in any way that they can. as you know, as our teams are hurting and suffering and as our passengers and their families need assistance, we're doing everything we can. i don't have any other more information on that right now. >> chief donnelly, can i ask you to describe the next phase of the investigation? how confident are you that you'll be able to recover all 67 of these bodies? and can you speak to some of the debris that's also being pulled out of the river? we understand there are some suitcases, um, you know, some other things that have been pulled out from the river. and i would like to ask anyone here, perhaps the transportation secretary or mr. aitken, if you know anything about these victims, the age ranges, nationalities, anything of that. >> so the next phase of this operation is, is going to be led by the ntsb. all of us are working together, though, to to search the area and to find the victims. i'm confident that we will do that. um, and that will

take us a little bit of time, though it may involve some more equipment. as far as the things being collected, i don't have personal knowledge. i know that we have been collecting debris that you would expect to see from a plane. >> okay, anything about the victims. >> so just. >> so the question is about the victims, the ntsb is going to lead that portion of the contact with the victims. i believe american is going to be involved with that as well. and so will the faa and the department of transportation. >> secretary guffey will want to take some questions over here. one, 234. first, yes, first secretary guffey the flight path that the helicopter was on, is that a common flight path? and is it normal for helicopters to get clearance to cut across busy ports? >> so, uh, i don't know if you all could hear the question. it's a question about the flight path of the helicopter. i don't want to go into too much detail about the information we have from the faa, but, uh,

obviously it is it is not standard to have aircraft collide. want to be clear on that? but prior to the collision, the flight paths that were being flown from the military and from american, that was not unusual for what happens in the d.c. airspace. and as this investigation moves forward, we will be able to provide more information to you about the details of that statement. >> i wanted to follow up on that question regarding the flight path, because you said it was standard. so can you speak to the conversations with the air traffic control? were there blind spots here? i don't el-sisi. >> so the question is, were there blind spots with air traffic control? um, i don't want to make statements about that. i don't lead into that answer. um, but again, i think whether it was air traffic control, whether it was military

aircraft, helicopters or the american flight, everything was standard in the lead up to the crash. now, obviously there was something happened here. you'll get more information and more details as this investigation moves forward. uh, we'll learn what happened. but again, those who live in the dc area, we see military helicopters fly up and down the river. it's a standard path that they fly. they're used to aircraft landing at dca. and there's a procedure in place because this happens every day. something went wrong here. i look forward to the time and point when we can give you that information. um, but i don't want to comment on that right now senator. >> senator warner, you all have been very vocal about your concerns about busy runways here. air traffic. i know it's still early in the investigation. i'm just curious if the steps that you all plan to take to address that we have raised this issue continuously. >> we've got very