the potomac waters are freezing. it was warmer in washington yesterday, this area has seen arctic temperatures for weeks. the figure skaters onboard, we have a statement from u.s. figure skating saying u.s. figure skating can confirm several members were aboard flight 5342 which collided with the helicopter yesterday evening in washington, d.c., athletes, coaches and family members were returning home from camp held with the championships in wichita, kansas. we are devastated by this tragedy and hold the victims families closely in our heart. we'll monitor the situation and release information as it becomes available. on tuesday, new transportation secretary sean duffy was sworn in. he rushed to the crash site to reagan national airport. there was a press conference with muriel bowser. this is located in arlington, virginia. no reports of survivors, many anxious family member upons waiting to hear about the fate of their loved ones. we have a press conference at 7:30. >> todd: when you hear the word sadly being used

that's all for now here on the banks of the potomac.ou, lawrence. >> lawrence: praying for those folks as they prepare for some unthinkable news. thanks, lucas. so our next guest lives about a mile away from the crash site. jim hanson erved served in the u.s. army special forces and kind enough to join us this morning. jim, it's good to see you, brother. when you look at the video. what immediately alarms you as someone that. >> there is a lot of collision avoidance gear on both of the aircraft. it's difficult to understand, absent some sort of technical malfunction how at the didn't manage to be alerted that they were on a collision course. not uncommon fly at night for commercial and especially military pilots. oan training mission like this that would be part of the profile is to practice for the crowded skies. the, you know, lights that distract. all of the difficulties. and unfortunately, something went horrifically wrong on this mission. >> lawrence: more than likely those pilots of that we won't be able to interview them. what ty

the midair collision right here over the potomac river. an american airlines passenger jet and a u.s. army blackhawk helicopter. tonight, authorities now saying no one survived. tonight, surveillance video showing the moment of impact. the sudden fire ball in the sky over washington, d.c. >> crash, crash, crash, this is alert three. >> the alarming call from air traffic control. an american airlines flight out of wichita, kansas, on approach to reagan national airport. the u.s. army black hawk helicopter on a night training mission colliding with the jet. both plunging into the frigid waters of the potomac river. 64 passengers and crew on the plane. three soldiers on the black hawk helicopter. tonight, the witness who told me what he saw, driving home from work. what he witnessed right through his window. and tonight, we're learning about the 67 lives lost. the american airlines pilots. the young figure skaters, their coaches and family members returning from the national championships and camp in wichita. the young stars, many from the bo

nos acercamos a los trabajos de recuperaciÓn en el rÍo potomac.s es bajar la app de turbotax y presentar tu propia declaración 100% gratis si no la hiciste con nosotros el año pasado. ahora los impuestos se hacen así. declara gratis en la app a más tardar el 18 de febrero cambiándote a turbotax do-it-yourself. ♪ declara gratis en la app a más tardar el 18 de febrero ♪ (vo) los buenos días empiezan con cheerios. downy light le da un aroma sutil y fresco a tu ropa. no te agobia, como: fogata veraniega y cuero de bisonte. porque downy light es agradable y balanceado. es un aroma inspirado en la naturaleza. dale vida a tu ropa. ♪ es un aroma inspirado en la na♪uraleza. (vo) los buenos días empiezan con cheerios. bien. estamos de regreso a esta hora en informaciÓn de Último momento, las autoridades anunciaron que ya recuperaron las cajas negras del aviÓn. esto es importantÍsimo.. est cajas negras serÁn clave en la investigaciÓn. esta tarde, nosotros mÁs temprano, nos acercamos lo mÁs que pudimos al rÍo potomac. y el lugar del impacto. las actividades h

the potomac river flows right through there, and the potomac river is right next to the reagan airportre hearing from our sister station in washington, d.c, is a lot of the debris is on the eastern side of the potomac river, where temperatures right now are5 degrees. you'd maybe be able to survive that if you're in that water for half an hour or less. but of course, that search and rescue effort continues right now. currently, 43 degrees winds out of the south 5 to 10mph gusts tonight. tomorrow we're looking at 44. so a very, very tragic situation out here. raj. and that water temperature again only 35 right now that is ominous for people in the thank you jeff, for people in the d.c. area and here at home, this crash triggers memories of previous plane crashes. back in 1982, air florida flight 90 slammed into the 14th street bridge over the potomac river just moments after takeoff. the cae of that crash? too much ice on the wings. 78 people were killed. tonight's crash marks the first major commercial air crash in the united states since 2009. that's when colgan air flight 307 lost con

the potomac is a tidal river, it actually flows both ways.y out, flowing toward the chesapeake. at midnight, it switched its course and actually flows upriver. it does that every 12 hours, so the divers have got to go into the crash site. at times they have to go south, other times they got to go north. it is just a big area with poor visibility. i think it is going to take some time, gentleman. >> john: lonnie quinn with the changing picture. thank you, lonnie. >> maurice: can america's air travel infrastructure handle the growing demand? >> john: the stress on the system is tonight's "eye on america" next. stress oe system is tonight's "eye on america" next. at any time. d it coule think you're not at risk? wake up. because shingles could wake up in you. if you're over 50, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about shingles prevention. ♪♪ some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking allstate first. like you know to check the game is actually over, - we won. - [cheering] before you storm the court. ♪♪ ♪okay, okay,

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the potomac is a tidal river, it actually flows both ways.on its way out, flowing toward the chesapeake. at midnight, it switched its course and actually flows upriver. it does that every 12 hours, so the divers have got to go into the crash site. at times they have to go south other times they got to go north. it is just a big area with poor visibility. i think it is going to take some time, gentlemen. >> john: lonnie quinn with the changing picture. thank you, lonnie. >> maurice: can america's air travel infrastructure handle the growing demand? >> john: the stress on the system is tonight's "eye on america" next. >> john: americans are flying - we won. - [cheering] before you storm the court. ♪♪ >> john: americans are flying it's overtime. so check allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds. ♪♪ you're in good hands with allstate. >> john: americans are flying like lighting under 150 dollars to brighten your vibe. for under 100 dollars, put your best look forward with vintage jackets. or pick up custom shelving for under 50 to

there is an active search and rescue in the potomac river as we speak. this could be a mass cualtyas i don't ever see anyone coming out to maintenance anything, so it's very scary for me because i have everything i love in this home. so, we've now implemented drone technology. how is that safe for me? it enhances the inspection, so it allows us to see things faster. your safety is the most important, and if you're feeling unsafe, that's not okay. it doesn't feel like that in our hearts. i mean, it's worrisome. [dog barks] [dog barks] breaking news at washington's reagan national airport in just a few minutes. but we want to start with something in oakland. someone has stolen part of the soul of oakland. dozens of plaques marking the blues walk of fame were taken. the bronze plaques are located on seventh street between wood and willow in west oakland. the founder of the bay area blues society says it appears 40 of the 80 bronze plaques are now gone. you see where they used to be likely taken to be sold as scrap. the estimated damage about 150,000 bucks.

you can see the boats in the water of the potomac. i've spoken to a source who was there at reagan national airport. he says that there are helicopters in the air with searchlights looking in the potomac. to me in the video, there is nothing apparent there that looks like an airplane. and so the water temperature right now in the potomac, we have broken the streak of frigid temperatures here, but the water temperature is still very cold, and you can still get hypothermic really quick. it's about 42 degrees. this commercial flight is not exactly small. it's one of the smaller planes that you may have been on. but this was not a small plane. this is not a cessna or a beechcraft. this is a 60 to 70 seat commercial airliner. you buy a ticket on it from american airlines. the flight is operated by a regional carrier called psa airlines. this is often where newer commercial pilots, before going to the major airlines, cut their teeth. but don't get me wrong, many are very experienced, so this is a really big question here for investigators a

so they also because it is the potomac and the potomac is the airport is right on the banks of the potomacit is mostly built on infill. it was built primarily in the 30s and 40s. um, it is is right there on the potomac. they have to have this as part of the response. not every airport has that. it's really not necessary for an airport that is inland. reagan national airport is a very, very unique case. and so to be able to go out into the water, especially in a way inspired by the air florida crash back in in the 80s, that is something that is is so unique and so significant here. this is now a live image. >> this is from an affiliate. pete, what are you seeing. this is obviously much closer. what can you see in this is where we're looking at this response and just how how large this response is from from what they prepare for as they do that. >> i'm happy we've taken it full in the distance there. you can you can see crystal city, virginia there. of course, the red and white flashing lights. i can see, um, the, the yellow fire truck at about the two thirds position of your screen, about a

other ships in the potomac? watch the planes take off and land, it is take off and land, and it is incredible to think how active this scene is so many hours after, but the really distressing part is the fact that it distressing part is the fact thatitis distressing part is the fact that it is likely transitioning from rescue operation to a from a rescue operation to a recovery operation conditions. we understand the conditions. we understand that water _ are l the conditions. we understand l that water _ are one that water temperatures are one or 2 with emergency or 2 degrees, with emergency responder saying there is a lot responder saying thereis a lot ice in responder saying there. is a lot ice in the river, so oficein the river. so . . difficult extremely difficult conditions for undergoing this operation. o eration. rescue noesten point out about the would point out about the weather, being an atmosphere scientist, so often when we go review what 77 7 77 777r7evi7ew7what7happ7erie7d back and review what hap

on the potomac river. those of us who aren't on that side of the country, it's bitterly cold. if we look at the water temperatures, where i'm standing off the coast in the atlantic, it's pretty warm out here. but i'm standing in the gulf stream. water temperatures out here are a safe, comfortable 70 degrees. but that's not where this plane is. this plane is actually in the potomac river, which sits over here which is much -- it doesn't have any benefit of getting the gulf stream waters at all. instead, it's in late january air and late january weather. and even though the weather wasn't a significant impact on this, they did just have a pretty big pool of cool air and windy weather work its way down towards this part of the country. and when we take a look at how this has played out in terms of this surge of cool air that's moved down there, certainly colder for the last 24 hours than the two days before. the air temperature's in the mid-40s, but the water temperature's in the upper 30s. and that really is

. >> a live look now at the potomac. rivers. crews are continuing their recovery mission this morning. we're breaking down evewything you need to know. >> is it 9? on top of that breaking news near the nation's capital right now, families in mourning the american airlines passenger jet. >> collided with an army black hawk helicopter. everyone on board. both aircraft was killed, that 67 people and we are continuing. >> our live coverage, i'm darya folsom and i'm james fletcher first responders there on the potomac confirming 60 passengers and 4 crew are on that commercial airplane. >> 3 soldiers were on the black hawk helicopter. that crash happened a little before 9 o'clock eastern time last night is that passenger plane was inbound coming in for a landing at reagan national airport there in d c. this is video from the earth cam there at the kennedy center. the observation deck. it's right across the potomac from reagan national. and here you'll see that flash of light, the moment of impact there and the debris falling into the

you can see fire boats, the potomac river. the faa just put. >> out. >> this statement a psa airlines bombardier. >> crj 700. >> regional jet collided in. mid-air with a sikorsky h-60 helicopter while on approach to runway 33 at reagan washington national. airport around. 9 p.m. local time. psa was operating flight. five 342 as american airlines. it departed from wichita, kansas. joining us now, nbc news. tom costello. tom, that aircraft that they identified as the american airlines aircraft. what do we know about the seating capacity of that plane? >> well, this is if it's a typical a typical crj, a regional jet. and this is made by bombardier and is flying on behalf of american airlines, 50 to 100 people generally is what those will will take. as you know, it's a single aisle flight and it flies into the smaller airports, generally around the country. right. you'd be leaving from reagan or you'd be going into reagan, but you'd be going from smaller airports. in other words, you wouldn't necessarily fly that plane from, you k

hubo una explosiÓn y los dos aparatos cayeron al rÍo potomac.estÁ abierta para saber quÉ ocurriÓ en el aire. el aviÓn volaba de wichita, kansas, a washington, d.c. el helicÓptero militar cubrÍa un vuelo de entrenamiento entre las 67 vÍctimas. habÍa patinadores, entre ellos dos rusos ex campeones en esa disciplina. venÍan de wichita de participar en el campeonato estadounidense de patinaje artÍstico. y la presidenta de mÉxico, claudia sheinbaum, asegura que su gobierno denunciarÁ ante estados unidos las presuntas violaciones a los derechos humanos de algunos de los migrantes irregulares deportados a ese paÍs. >> noticias telemundo mediodÍa con nicole suÁrez y octavio pulido. >> y por supuesto, continuamos con el seguimiento de esta noticia en desarrollo. muy buenas tardes y gracias por acompaÑarnos aquÍ en noticias telemundo mediodÍa. >> un dÍa trÁgico aquÍ en el paÍs. vamos a la informaciÓn de esta tarde. son imÁgenes con las que despertamos muchos. el momento justo en que dos aeronaves. ahÍ las vemos. un airlines y un helicÓpteroan militar coli

water temperatures in the potomac are near freezing. yesterday was a warmer day, about 60 degrees, this region has seen arctic temperatures as we saw on inauguration day. potomac had sheets of ice covering it a few days ago and water temperature is near freezing. in a state from u.s. figure skatingy we are told there are members of u.s. figure skating aboard fly 5342. u.s. figure skating can confirm several members were aboard flight 5342 which collided with the helicopter yesterday in washington, d.c. athletes, coachings and family members were returning home from camp held in conjunction with u.s. figure skating championship in wichita, kansas. we are devastated by this tragedy and hold the victims families closely to our hearts, we'll monitor the situation and release more information as becomes available. new transportation secretary, sean duffy, had just been sworn in on tuesday, had toured his new building. transportation department in washington, d.c. and southwest by national park, he was at a press conference earlier. right now

last time a plane landed in the potomac, crashed in the potomac was 1982. and there was ice back then. tonight there isn't ice, but we're talking about temperatures in the low 30 degrees. i want to continue this conversation with dennis tajer. he's a pilot. he's been a pilot for more than 36 years. he's now with american airlines. in fact, he flew a plane for them today. he's also with the allied pilots association. dennis, thank you for joining us. i appreciate you. you taking time tonight. >> thank you. and it's a heavy, heavy night. >> yeah. >> and above all else thoughts and prayers. and not only for the passengers and crew, but for those first responders who are risking life and limb. now to give us. >> some. >> some type. >> of knowledge on, on. >> just the. >> tragedy tonight. >> and, and i've always thought at moments like this, it's no time for speculation. there are many things that could have gone wrong and we will learn all of them. but it is a rare circumstance. a midair collision in the united states is a rare circumstance. a passenger plane g

. >> and now a live look this morning at the potomac river. the location of one of the crash sites, the helicopter. and you can see there are boats circling around is they're continuing their recovery efforts this morning. >> is it 10? it's game week. breaking news. we everything that you need to know about the crash with our breaking news story that we're following for the nation's capital. >> families in mourning after an american airlines passenger jet collided with an army black hawk helicopter and that killing everybody on board. both of those aircrafts. >> thank you for joining us on this all morning. i'm james fletcher and i'm darya folsom and the very latest you'll see is first of all the death toll. there are no survivors. >> 67 people in total have been killed in this accident. that happened last night. the crash was about 09:00pm eastern time as the passenger plane. the american airlines flight was coming in for a landing. it was trying to land at reagan national airport when the chopper hit, it crossed its path. and this is a look

we're outside in the potomac river. tell us what you're seeing here about these deployed assets. >> right, laura? so if you and i can kind of split apart a little bit, and our photojournalist nick can train his camera in more toward the center here and in the center, you can see what we believe are boats in the water straight ahead. we i i'm making out maybe four, but it may it could be more. it's just very hard to see the numbers there. but but boats in the water straight ahead of us also in the air. there have been two helicopters circling kind of an oval formations, uh, fairly consistently over the water. one of them, at least one of them, has had his spotlight trained on the water as they try to pull people out there. you guys talked about the weather. we've heard that the water temperature is about 35 degrees. very, very tough to survive more than a couple of minutes in that water. and i just heard gabe's reporting about there are confirmed fatalities. they have not yet pulled survivors. the chances of them doing t

both of those aircraft ended up in the potomac. happened as an american airlines jet was coming in for landing. we know that there were 64 people on board american airlines flight 5, 3, 4, 2 heading from wichita, kansas, to washington national here in dc that crash happening around 09:00pm last night. local time. 3 people were also on board that black hawk army helicopter. again, authorities say they have recovered 27 bodies that american airlines flight was actually operated by what is essentially a subcontractor psa or arrow psa airlines. it was a crj 700, a small regional jet. that's not entirely uncommon. a lot of those big airlines will use secondary airlines to handle their short haul and regional trips. again, that impact happened as the american flight was coming in for landing colliding with that army black hawk helicopter. transportation secretary sean duffy says both aircraft were on standard flight pass. he said he's also a spoke about the ongoing investigation. let's take a listen. >> his administration, the faa, the d

look at the potomac river where they are searching for bodies. there are no survivors of this crash between a helicopter and a passenger jet. 67 people in total are dead. we know so far they've pulled 27 victims from the water. and you can see in the live pictures, multiple agencies on the scene. >> not only there as part of the recovery effort is they've been doing that all throughout the night, but also on the investigative side, too, with the ntsb and the fbi, according to flightaware this, a plane took off from wichita airport yesterday at about 5, 22 in the evening central time. and it was on final approach. just seconds away from landing at reagan national airport at about 8.55, or so eastern. and that's when the crash occurred. we want to take you to washington, d.c., because that is where the recovery efforts are happening and the investigation. >> at reagan national airport. so let's go to jesse to know. hundreds of first responders are still here on scene while the airport likely remains closed until later this morning. >> iger on and i

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. >> potomac river. but first responders are dealing with extremely difficult conditions. >> the water that we're operating in is about eight feet deep. there is wind. there is pieces of ice out there. so it's just dangerous and hard to work in. and because there's not a lot of lights, you're out there searching every square inch of space to see if you can find anybody. the divers are doing the same thing in the water. the water is dark, it is murky. and that is a very tough condition for them to dive in. >> so as of now. >> no survivors have been found. >> nbc washington reports at least. >> 12 bodies have. >> been recovered, citing two. sources familiar with the search efforts. one local affiliate citing. 19 overnight, u.s. figure skating, confirmed that several of its members were on board the american airlines flight. the organization says athletes and coaches and family members were returning home from the national development camp, held in conjunction with the skating champ skating championships in

flying along the potomac and the aircraft was

, 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

flying along the potomac and the aircraft was >> it's hard to see above you in flying the helicopters so it's almost a perfect storm if you will, the two aircraft's, right on top of the other. >> trace: standby if you would we want to reset, we are at the top of the hour at 11:00 in the east, 8:00 here in los angeles, you are looking live at your screen in arlington, virginia,, there has been an airline crash, just short of reagan national airport, dca, as it's letters are and this happened at right before or right at 9:00 eastern time this evening, it was a see rj passenger jet, 700 and twin jet, 60 passengers on board. we do not know this, we are assuming with the 60 passengers you have two crewmembers and possibly, likely a flight attendant, possibly two flight attendants. the plane flight 5342 was from wichita kansas and landing at reagan national airport, when we were told that it was hit, struck by a black hawk helicopter. three soldiers were on board the black hawk helicopter and we should note, we have been told that four people were pulled out of the water, the water is 37 de

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both aircraft have been located in the potomac river.egional jet is in three pieces in about waist deep water. so a lot of work ahead and a lot of questions this morning. laura. no doubt. so many questions here. and really. and they need to analyze what exactly went wrong. aviation analyst mike mccarron joins us live now this morning. mike, thanks for joining us. this is such a tragedy, something that hasn't happened in this scale in the u.s. in years. it's now been about 12 hours since it happened. what are investigators likely focusing on trying to determine at this point? are you able to hear me, mike? i can't hear you. okay. you know what? we're going to work out that situation with mike and his audio. he's an aviation expert here in the bay area known for following so many things. we'll continue to follow this as the investigation continues. they're looking for the black boxes. we understand. this morning in the icy waters of the potomac, as well as some of the bodies that have been left behind because of this tragedy. all right. we

elian: comienzan a conocerse los rostros de la 67 vÍctimas fatales por la tragedia aÉrea sobre el rÍo potomac al paÍs. entre ellas hay tres vÍctimas de origen hispano, jÓvenes atletas notables de la comunidad de patinaje artÍstico mundial, miembros de una comunidad en virginia, y tambiÉn miembro de una tripulaciÓn, un piloto a punto de ser ascendido a capitÁn. familiares y amigos devastados se reÚnen en washington y ahora por los cuerpos de sus seres queridos. a lo largo del dÍa se han recuperado decenas de cadÁveres de la gÉlidas aguas del rÍo . con el trabajo de seguridad y rescate que llevaron a cabo las labores de recuperaciÓn en condiciones difÍciles. las investigacionessi en curso y hay mucha cobertura que responder, tenemos cobertura especial y equipo desde el lugar de la tragedia. ♪ [mÚsica] ♪ locutor: este es su noticiero univisiÓn ediciÓn nocturna con elian zidÁn desde washington d.c.. elian: buenas noches. seguimos aquÍ en el lugar de la tragedia con esta amplia cobertura de "noticias univisiÓn". a esta hora ya sabemos mÁs detalladas sobre quiÉn era jonathan campos, el primer hispa

it was huge in seen in the in the potomac right around 9 p.m. and that's when i really took the videos around 8:50 p.m. or 855, to be more precise. i it's i can't fathom how scary the scene was around 9 p.m. plenty of, you know. what we say like source resources from the dc been launched to the sites. the most difficult thing is the water is frozen. so you can imagine i've seen a lot of airboats, airboats, they float over ice and some of the areas of the river is still have ice since inauguration day, so that adds more difficulties not just to the diver, but also to the mission, to the recovery mission. as we hear now, it's a recovery mission. this water, the potomac river, has a very strong stream going south river. so if you think about the timeline, the timeline that the plane crashed around 8:50 p.m. last night and we're going to 1:15 p.m. that's over 15, 16 hours. so you can think that some of the remains, human bodies, fuselage have already drifted south of the river by miles. so i would expect that the search and rescue or the at least th

. >> by earth cam shows the moment of collision over the potomac river. it happened just before 9 p.m. eastern near reagan national airport, just minutes from where we are here in the studio. the plane departed from wichita, kansas, with 60 passengers and four crew members on board. officials say the blackhawk helicopter was coming from fort belvoir and had three people on board for that. an army official tells nbc news it's believed they were on a training flight. search and rescue operations are now underway, and this is a live look from outside of reagan national airport, where first responders are dealing with difficult conditions between the wind, the dark and the cold. as of now, no survivors have been found. nbc washington reports at least 12 bodies have been recovered. they're citing two sources familiar with the search efforts. overnight, u.s. figure skating confirmed several of its members were on board this american airlines flight. the organization says athletes, coaches and family members were returning home from home from the national develo

there are rescue operations underway right now at the potomac river in the potomac river.confirmed by d.c. fire and ems. but again, at this point, all we know is that it's a small aircraft. what's being described as a small aircraft. it's ■down in the potomac river in the vicinity of reagan national airport, which used to be national airport. dc, dc's main airport, right there in downtown washington near the potomac river. again, we do not know the size of the aircraft involved here. we don't know the nature of the incident. what may have caused the crash. we don't know if there's any specific nexus to the fact that this is washington, dc. we don't know if any other aircraft were involved here, but we're watching here. you can see the police and fire and ems response, including fireboats, on the scene, with what is now a rescue operation underway right now at the potomac river. we'll keep eyes on this right now. this is all i know right now to be able to tell you, but we've got we're on this right now, and we'll bring you more news of this as we learn more. all right. we'l

the brand i trust. >> john: back here from west potomac park, overlooking the potomac river.f the river. over on the virginia side, the ntsb is going to be holding a media briefing in a few minutes' time as right in the middle of the river, the emergency crews continue the grim process of recovering the remains of the 67 people who died in that horrible collision last night between a crj-700, the psa flight flying for american eagle and a black hawk helicopter that was on a training mission from fort belvoir. it's a cold k day out here for crews working in the water, and it cold day in freezing river and it was frozen up until a couple days ago. and the divers going into the water have a tough job. sandra, you grieve for the families of the 67 people who perished last night because this was just such a freak accident. something people didn't think would ever happen. the last time there was a major incident here was on february the 13th, back in 1982. where an air florida flight that was leaving from reagan national airport was heavily laden with ice sitting on the runway afte

we are on the shores of the potomac river. it's right behind me where there is a frantic search and rescue recovery operation underway. they are still hoping to find any survivors, but the news is just not good at this hour. the plane was on its final approach to ronald reagan national airport last night, when the collision with a helicopter sent both of those aircrafts crashing into the potomac river. rescue crews responding immediately to the scene. >> crash. >> crash. >> crash. >> this is alert three. >> crash, crash, crash, this is alert three. >> this is operations was at a that is affirmative. >> uh llc or j. president xi three three. >> now more than 301st responders and rescue crews are on the river. they are working on those search and recovery efforts. about 60. there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board. it was american airlines flight 5342. it was coming in from kansas. the black hawk helicopter had three crew members on board for a training flight. at the time of the collision. >> we were watching the

that's the potomac river. and at a certain point, that is when it and the black hawk army helicopter collide. and that is when the flight tracking cuts off, obviously, with that midair collision. um, we have very little information, but we are grasping on to what we do know. and that is being revealed in air traffic control audio. and we have that. and this gives us a data point. so we know from this audio that you're about to hear that at the very least, the pilots inside of this army, black hawk helicopter did see this commercial jetliner. take a listen pat 2-5 sergey brin flight pat 2-5 pam bondi sergey brin pat 2-5 has an aircraft separation. >> separation for 72 washington star. one star 32017. >> so you heard that? oh my was an audible gasp by the air traffic controller. where at that point, that is when they saw that the two aircraft had collided mid-air. it's worth noting that this service between wichita, kansas and washington, dc, it's relatively new service that it's been up and running this route,

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debris plunging into the potomac. it appeared in that moment neither aircraft took evasive action, raising questions if the pilots even saw it coming and whether the black hawk saw the plane. in another major move, the faa now suspending helicopter routes over the potomac area in the area over and around the airport for at least 30 days. an faa document and flight radar show that the army helicopter may have deviated outside of its approved route at least once in the seconds before the crash. and early data shows it was flying above 300 feet when it should have been under 200. the ntsb tonight revealing they have recovered the helicopter's data and voice recorder as well as both of the plane's black boxes including the flight data recorder. they said river water got inside. >> we have a high level of confidence that we will be able to get a full download in the very near future. >> reporter: investigators re-creating the final minutes leading up to that midair crash, before that american airlines flight started its de

wednesday night in the freezing potomac river. lane was part of the skating club of boston, which lost two skaters and their mothers, as well as two coaches in the crash. several other skating clubs around the country also lost. members. olympic u.s. figure skater nancy kerrigan, who trained at the skating club of boston, went there to mourn and honor those who were lost. >> i think it's a shock when you find out, you know, you know, some of the people on the plane. it's. even a bigger blow. >> 13 year old jinna han, another skater from boston skating club, was also on board the flight with her mother, jin han. >> she was in it to win it. just a delight. but for a little 13 year old. just full of grace. >> two of the club's coaches, world champion skaters evgenia shishkova and vadim naumov, also died. the russian born skaters were married and competed twice in the olympics. after they won the pairs title in the 1994 world figure skating championships, they moved to the united states and built successful coaching careers. >> everyt

at night you see lights of aircraft are stacked up for miles coming down the potomac or up the potomac approaching from the south. so for an army helicopter to be in the same air space as commercial aircraft that is on final approach really is, no other way to put it, terrible, terrible miscommunication somehow. both aircraft are in communication with the tower, big question is and sean duffy talked about how you get the two aircraft in the same corridor at the same time. it really boggles the mind. i spent time flying in and out of this airport, spending time on the river recreationally and you see planes one after the other. the approach from the south lesdz complicated than the approach from the north, where planes come in over great falls and follow the potomac river down and meander with the river and make a turnover the park there to land on runway 19 south or 15 south. coming in from the south, if you're flying in on either landing onun areway one or runway 33, it is a much gentler approach. i don't know and officials don't know how the army helicopter got in the same corridor.

icy icy potomac. that was a cold cold night. cold water. we will overcome with the grief for many who have so tragically perished will no longer be with us. together, we take solace in the knowledge that their journey ended not in the cold waters of the potomac, but in the warm embrace of a loving god. we do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas and i think we'll probably state those opinions now. he's over the years. i've watched as things like this happen. and they say, well, we're always investigating. and then the investigation. 3 years later, they announced that we think we have have some pretty good ideas. but we'll find out how this disaster occurred and will ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. the faa and the ntsb and the u.s. military will be carrying out a systematic and comprehensive investigation. our new secretary of transportation, sean duffy, he's second day on the job. when that happened. it's a it's a rough one. we'll be working tirelessly as a great gentleman. whole

. >> the plane breaking into two, both aircraft plunging into the icy potomac river. rescue crews searching overnight for passengers and wreckage. >> this was a dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital. >> president trump calling it america's hour of anguish, but also suggesting democrats' diversity initiatives were a factor. the new backlash tonight. what we're learning about the victims. tom llamas on the losses for the american and russian ice skating communities. olympic star nancy kerrigan's powerful message. and what we know about the military personnel on board that chopper. the investigation under way into how this could happen. nbc's tom costello with new reporting tonight on the staffing levels inside the air traffic control tower. >>> and the heated hearings for two of president trump's most controversial nominees, kash patel and tulsi gabbard. will they get enough republican votes to be confirmed? >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt, reporting tonight from washington, d.c. >>> good evening from reagan national airport, wher

the potomac river separates washington, d.c., and virginia. crews have been in this frigid river all day searching for any remains they can find. the difficulties these teams are running into nearly 20 hours after this crash. we'll be right back this part changed my life. >> superman. crazy. just that simple little thing over the horse. >> chris wanted to change the world. >> people are. >> literally walking because of him. >> superman. the christopher reeve story. >> sunday at eight on cnn. >> thinking of updating. >> my kitchen? >> yeah. >> yes. >> this year. >> we are finally updating our kitchen. doing subway tile and an ivory or eggshell. >> cream, maybe bone. >> don't get. >> me started on quartz. >> big. >> big island. >> have you ever heard of a waterfall counter? >> for everyone who talks about doing that thing. >> over. >> there, but. never does that. >> thing. sweet little breakfast nook. >> chase has financial. >> guidance. >> you can start saving. >> to make this happen. >> really, really, really. >> at home or in person. >> also

. >> and this is a live look this morning at the potomac river. crews are now calling this a recovery mission break down. everything you need to know on the kron. 4 morning news. >> 5 with breaking news. >> while we're on top of that, breaking news our nation's capital right now, families are in mourning after an american airlines passenger jet collided with an army black hawk helicopter killing everybody on board. both aircrafts. thank you for joining us this morning. i'm reyna harvey. all right. let's get right into that story right now. >> first responders have come from 60 passengers and 4 crew members were on that plane. 3 soldiers were on that black hawk helicopter. the crash happened around 09:00pm eastern time last night as that passenger plane was coming in to land at ronald reagan international airport right near washington, d.c., there. well, you can see this video from the earth cam at the kennedy space center capturing the moment of impact. you can see that big flash followed by debris falling down right now. first responders are now

the potomac river runs along the airport, there are three different runways.the77777777777777777 77 7 7 7179237 e; the7bi7g7g7e7r77 7 7 7 7 7 7we have the aeroplane. we have the smaller regionaljets like the flight in from in fr

. >> me is the potomac river, where. search and rescue. >> has turned to. >> search and recovery because, tragically, no one survived last. >>ight's in-flight. >> collision between an american. airlines jet and a u.s. army black hawk helicopter. you've been listening to president trump making comments at the white house about the border, largely. cnn's jeff zeleny is covering the white house for us today. jeff, what do you. >> what do you make of what. >> president trump. >> has had to say? >> well, jake, what president trump just did. first of all, he actually signed an order appointing an acting director of the faa, chris rocheleau, who was a longtime faa worker, before leaving to the private sector. but this just underscores the fact that this is one of the many vacant positions in the faa as this new government administration is taking hold. so that was the first thing he did. the second thing he did was sign an executive action of some kind. basically just restating the comments we heard from him earlier today sayin