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

that's the nighttime potomac river. anything where you see any other police lights or, you know, red flashing lights, those are boats and other, you know, other first responders on the river currently searching for people searching for wreckage and making rescues. it's unclear which patch of flashing lights that you see up on your screen is where this plane is. unfortunately, because this happened at 9:00, it was already dark outside and it's going to be dark until the 6:00, 7:00 hour later this morning. so we're not really going to get our first look in the sunlight for five, six more hours. >> and people think back when an aircraft goes into the potomac to 1982, which was a very different accident. an aircraft clipped the 14th street bridge and then went into the water that was icy. yes, that that rescue was uniquely difficult because it was icy, although there were survivors from that one. it looks calm out there, but it's cold. >> there were. >> cool. >> it's very calm out here, considering what we dealt with just a

we believe coming from the south up the potomac river to land on the runway, that sort of runs. not necessarily perpendicular to the other runways, but it crosses one of the longer runways here. and the directly across the river you have joint base anacostia-bolling, an air force facility where aircraft can take off from. but there are so many others as a coast guard station right up the river from where we are. fort belvoir, we know, is south of here. and that's where that blackhawk helicopter came from. we are. this airport is just a stone's throw from the pentagon. and so there's a lot of activity, military aircraft activity that happens in this region, along with all the commercial planes that come in and out of reagan national. ali. >> yeah, and definitely one of the most controlled air spaces in the country. given the fact that this is our nation's capital. nbc's aaron gilchrist, thank you for joining us. we're going to come back with you later this hour, but i want to turn now to former faa and ntsb investigator jeff guzzetti. jeff, thanks for waking up with us. can you ju

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

over the nation's capitol, black hawks are a frequent sight and over the potomac river, this army blackth when the collision occurred above potomac. flight 5342 weas on final approach about to land, pilots would have been focused on the runway. we have anxious family members waiting information on their loved ones. right now no information on survivors. waters have been frigid in the democratic area as you saw during the inauguration. there were u.s. figure skaters on board. u.s. figure skating association says members of the figure skating team returning from national development camp held at u.s. figure skating championship and we just received word kremlin said there were russians on board the flight, as well, part of 2025 u.s. figure skating championships held last week in wichita and new transportation secretary sean duffy who was sworn in on tuesday was at a press conference at 1:00 a.m. along with mayor muriel bowser. reagan airport. on a separate flight coming from new york, alejandro mayorkas was on board in first class, that plane was diverted and returned to new york and mayo

the in the potomac river.ation. the crashed over the aircraft crashed over the potomac river, they both potomac diver. they were both ~ ., , ~ . , over that river and investigators say that will be one of the big say thatwill he'one of the �*oig of the investigation focuses of the investigation going forward. we will bring of the very latest you of course the very latest with my colleague matthew at top of the hour here bbc 777 77 stay stay with us. �* a frosty start, most of us with clear skies us with clearrshiese through the of 7 us with clearrshiese through the of the day with”, a rest of the day with'ndt'a ' amount of cloud around. see ”off a- .- -... s a- 77 of to plenty of sunshine to look forward to through the rest of afternoon with and of 777777of7c7lou7d of cloud running into pieces of cloud running into areas. quite breezy for 0rkney and shetland with maybe a few and it will bump into some colder air, and for most of the uk we are looking at outbreaks of rain but across the high might turn to snow,

it appears they collided over the potomac river, and the river is right off of that runway that you mentioned right off of runway three three. any air traffic into and out of reagan airport goes right over the river. and that helicopter, there are many, many helicopter operations constantly moving up and down the river at reagan airport because of not only the marine one detachment that is assigned to help transport the president, but also you've got an awful lot of ambassadors or diplomatic type of activity with helicopters moving up and down the river as well. it's very, very crowded. >> yeah. tom, it's such. >> a busy traffic. >> area and. >> i've always thought of the helicopter traffic of washington dc, which is probably more certainly more than any other city of its. >> size in the. >> world. as something completely distinct from the commercial air traffic, traffic in and out of that airport, which is what it's supposed to be. but that intersection tonight shows you how close it. and there's the shot of it right now, that video of what we just saw as that explosion on the screen. >> it

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

. >> 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

you're looking at some live pictures of the potomac river. there are 300 first responders working there as we speak to handle what has become a major emergency. right now the rescue and recovery mission is very much underway. even from a distance you can see there are a whole lot of people there right now. and take a look at this, this for now is some of the only video we have of what might have been that collision and explosion. this was taken from an observation camera courtesy of earth cam. it's difficult to watch. you saw the airplane's lights blinking in the distance and then that bright light that looked like an explosion. this is the moment replayed for you, right there where you see it. just a little while ago, the ntsb and other officials had this news conference at reagan national airport at this crash. they did not, importantly, confirm any deaths or details about any of the people who were on board. here is what one kansas senator had to say. >> that flight has been in existence about a year, and it is certainly true that in kansa

. >> 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

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

this is an incredible response by search and rescue crews in the potomac river. this is a moonless night in the nation's capital. they're incredibly hampered by the cold temperatures, the water temperature right now, according to our weather team. and i want to pull this up again today. it was about 50 degrees out air temperature wise, but the potomac river, about 35 degrees, meaning hypothermia can set in in a matter of minutes. it is a race against the clock. this is a real life drama taking place right now, just outside of the nation's capital on the potomac river, at one of the busiest runways in the country. runway one at reagan national airport. that's what this flight was initially lined up to land on, and then swung out to the east over the shores of the potomac on the maryland side to line up with runway 33, a tactic commonly used by air traffic controllers to keep the pace and flow of airplanes up. you can see all of the lights there on the potomac right now, not only on land, but also on water. police boats have been being put in the water far and wide

that can the potomac river that you can see there.77 7 77 7 170859}; 7 77 7 1702159}; washington, it's been like and what's it's been like and �* or they may whether or not they may have contributed to the collision? the weather of now is the weather as of right now is clear, about 46 degrees a cold january evening 777527272; the 7 c7apitol,7 7 in the nation's capitol, certainly the is going certainly the weather'is'gaihg be considered all this, z5 7 of — when the weather is one of — when the weather is clear, what happens is e�*éee’ e�*fl" l:——e—: is. "eu“ '” ' " " ' " ' ' ' instructed to maintain is ihstrdeted te maintain. ~ , with any visual separation with any other aircraft through, other aircraft passing through, this a this is a highly co—ordinated area where again, the helicopters are communicating the same iirequeth,�*i as the same frequency as the so everyone —: of where everyone we if where everyone we are iere everyone we are also everyone we are also have one we has ilso have one we has come we one we has come us, )ne we h

as you can see from the images over 300 first responders are along the banks of the potomac in the riverand rescue vessels. right now there are many anxious family members waiting words on their loved ones. the water temperatures are near freezing here in the potomac. a bit warmer yesterday here in washington, d.c. about 60 degrees. this water temperature behind me is still near freezing a as we saw during the inauguration. artic light temperatures here in the nation's. >> capri: tall. survival rates in the potomac, mid collision took place 9:00 p.m. last night fox news has also learned on a separate flight dhs secretary mayorkas was on another american airlines flight coming into reagan that plane was diverted. sent back to laguardia. and mayorkas was seen leaving first class and going back to the airport. but, right now, along the banks of the potomac, again we are getting ready for first light here which people hope will help in search and rescue operations. that's all for now here on the banks of the potomac. send it back to you, lawrence. >> lawrence: praying for those folks as they

there is air car door above the potomac river where helicopters fly. the pentagon is located just on the other side of the potomac on the other side of reagan international airplane. black hawks land there and fly around this region. right now, there are anxious family members awaiting word. there are no reports of survivors. 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

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

that is over the potomac river.nders been working through the lea-w; leaaw wag-ar'a'h-aw “nu-l- 95.2.7 ———— ——— — .. . . .. in la; l522”; was“??? “nu-l thaw—f 17v ... 7 ~ . . .. in extremely la; l522”; was”??? “nu-l thaw—f as. ... 7 ~ . . —— in extremei it : z la; l522”; was”??? “nu-l thaw—f as. ... 7 ~ . . —— in extremei it has les ?ss? was”??? "�*-”--�*- alas? '??” ... ” ~ . . —— in extremei it has now conditions saying it has now switched from a rescue to a operation. tearesoyery as-.- . we 27 operation. we understand 27 bodies from the have bodies from the plane have been recovered and one body from the helicopter. we can shoot you pictures —— show you. you live pictures —— show you. you see the respondents who can see the respondents who have been out since the early hours the morning. during a hours of the morning. during a press conference we heard that 300 respondents responded to the and the conditions the crash and the conditions were really tough and they have describedfas j describedfas absolutely de wit

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

. >> 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

we should note the potomac river. oftentimes, the winters here in washington, d.c., relatively mild. that has not been the case this winter. and until just the last few days, much of the potomac was covered completely or almost completely in ice. we've had some warmer temperatures the past couple of days that start to break it up a little bit, but it really does underscore just how difficult the conditions were facing these first responders overnight. >> the conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders. it's cold. they're dealing with. relatively windy conditions. the wind is hard out on the river. so they're out there working. we're keeping doing everything we can to keep them safe. >> all right. joining us now is cnn meteorologist derek van dam with more on this. and derek, these lights behind me are actually from some of the boats that are involved in this search and rescue operation. we're of course waiting to see when or if that becomes a search and recovery operation, as this does seem to be getti

you potomac river. you can see the potomac river.a a midnight; treeaing a very, very temperatures, a very, very extensive search and rescue star; as stat; as atoll as operation under way as well as an investigation into has an investigation into what has caused many saying it take 2 2 2 take time 2 2 take time 2 o2rder will take some time in order to find this out, find out what occurred but we understand to our us partner, according to our us partner, cbs news, that 18 have recovered. we have been recovered. we have received a statement from us donald trump saying has been briefed on the has accident fed on the has accident and m the has accident and thanking terrible accident and thanking emergency responders for their emergency resoonders fortheira as .-. a”. .a- a work and emergency resoonders fortheisrs as .-. sass as a work and just a incredible work and just a reminder about half—an—hour reminder in about half—an—hour we expect a press conference to be held at we will details. we understand 18 have been confirmed 2 2 252“; reg

both of those aircraft ended up in the potomac river.know at this point there were 64 people on board that american airlines flight 5, 3, 4, that flight was traveling from wichita, kansas, to washington national airport here in dc officials saying that crash happening around 09:00pm eastern standard time. there were 60 passengers onboard 4 crew members. that was a crj 700 aircraft to a small regional aircraft was actually at operated by a subcontractor psa airlines that in and of itself is not unusual. a lot of the big carriers will use secondary companies for their regional operations. we also know that army black hawk helicopter had 3 members of the military on board. none of them survived as well. we understand the impact happened just as american airlines flight was coming in for landing here at reagan national. it would have happened just a few 100 feet off the ground at this point. they're still investigating what happened. but at a low altitude like that, it would have been nearly impossible for either pilot to recover, especially

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.

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

commuter jet flying from wichita, kansas, collided with an army blackhawk helicopter over the potomac river near reagan national airport outside washington, dc. 64 passengers and crew were aboard the plane, which was operated by american airlines. three soldiers were on board the helicopter. first responders from across the region raced to the scene to help. a massive search and rescue operation now underway for hours. there are multiple casualties. stay with abc news. we'll have much more on this plane crash throughout the night and on gma in the morning. that's nightline for this evening. for the good men and women at the crash site and the families involved. godspeed. good night. >> abc's david muir, the most watched newscast in america. more americans watch w you can access your fico® score in a snap. (daughter) what i would give to be able to make art on this scale! (dad) you will one day. but it's equally important for you to be thinking about your future... building credit— (daughter) dad... fargo, what's my fico® score? (dad) wow... it's a work of art. (vo) do you fargo? (daughter)

side of the potomac river. we can also see. >> a. >> second locus of activity just down the river, maybe a couple hundred yards or more. that may be a second locus of search and recovery efforts, but we're going to have to wait until we get daylight here to see exactly what we're looking at across the river. but i can tell you, frank, that the ronald reagan national airport is right on this side to my right, your left. and this approach over the potomac river, right through here is a very, very busy traffic corridor. and as somebody who flies out of this airport just about every week, it feels like sometimes you do see army blackhawk helicopters every day here. this is a very common occurrence for these commuter jets, regional jets and blackhawk helicopters to be sharing this same airspace over the potomac river, coming in from the south and from the north along the river. all of this very close to the monumental core of washington, dc. you can see the monuments behind me as well. the pentagon just over here to

. >> the massive search and rescue effort in the frigid potomac river. happening right now.e learning tonight. >> nightline will be [ car engine revving ] (woman) oh, come on! come on! (vo) fargo lets you do this: (woman) fargo, turn off my debit card! (woman) i found it! i found my card! (vo) and also, this: (woman) fargo, turn on my debit card. (vo) do you fargo? you can, with wells fargo. what else can fargo do? quickly tell you what you spend on things like food. (dad) fargo, what did i spend on groceries this month? (son) hey dad, can the guys stay for dinner? (dad) no... (vo) learn more at wellsfargo.com/getfargo. 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. been saved. >> good evening. thank you for joining us. as we come on the air

personnel lining the potomac river main runway at reagan international airport. we know the airport has a ground stop, so aircraft are not heading to until �*i�*iann untili�*iann local until �*i�*iann local tinne. untili�*iann localtinne. and 777 7may77 p7ush7ed even that may be pushed back even more. we 19 flights were to dulles 7l to dulles airport, the international7irport, the international7ai7rport the international7ai7rport to r larger international airport to north and west. some were l diverted to baltimore. we don't know that the stop will know that the ground stop will be pushed back even more, but what i can tell you is the scene is still distressing. scene is still so distressing. periodically up we are scene is still so distressing. perior the ly up we are scene is still so distressing. perior the best up we are scene is still so distressing. perior the best we up we are scene is still so distressing. perior the best we can, 5 are scene is still so distressing. perior the best we can, so �*e scene is still

minutes on the horrific, deadly collision between a passenger plane and a helicopter over the potomac river right near reagan national airport. recovery crews are continuing to search for victims in the dark, murky, icy waters of the potomac today. but the weather is complicating those efforts. officials this afternoon said efforts to remove the pieces of the plane from the water should start no later than tomorrow. cnn's pete muntean has all of the latest details. >> it is. >> the best view. yet of. >> the. >> worst aviation disaster in decades. >> the army. >> blackhawk helicopter flying down the potomac river and directly into american airlines flight 5342. >> that's 67. >> people. >> losing are so losing their lives right there. i mean, that's hard to watch. this isn't a video game. >> brad bowman. >> was a company commander in the very same blackhawk unit and flew this flight path. often. >> the helicopter. >> pilot at this point should be scanning aggressively the. >> exclusive videos. >> show no sign of evasive maneuvers and new flight tracking data suggest the blackhawk may have bee

. >> 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

that is the potomac river shot where we are told a plane has crashed into the potomac river.t was on its way here to dc from wichita, kansas. the two senators from kansas, i should note, say that they are in contact with emergency response regarding this crash as well. but how many people? mary would be on a plane of this size based on what you know? >> well, you know, there are, you know, a number of different versions of a regional jets, which i would think it would be a regional plane from wichita. it could be, you know, it could be a full size plane, depending upon the the load factors out of wichita. but on a regional jet, you likely have anywhere from 50 to 120 people. um, that's just what you know, the planes hold now, the regional jet. i just flew in on a couple of hours ago. it was mine was an american, and it came from charleston, south carolina. you know that one held, um, you know, that one held about 90 people. it was not full. so, you know, there's always a possibility of that. but, you know, d.c. is a, you know, a popular airport. everyone wants to fly in it. t

of where the accident took place was right off haines point where the anticosti river and the potomac river come together and aircraft and you see some continuing to land when they fly north to south and fly a river route that is called because of restrictions and security. they fly a meandering path down, and when they get to gravelle point, they take a hard land and the other way, and it's a hard landing, runway 33, and go over joint base anticosti and take a significant left hand turn and coming shorthand final for the runway and that's where the helicopter and the regional jet track include met at 100 feet of height. sandra. >> i'm sandra smith and you are looking live at washington. and we're going to see the jarring moment the aircraft collideed and a warning that this is hard to watch. and that is the spark and that is when the collision took place. when you saw it blow up in the sky, the american airlines flight was coming from wichita, kansas, and it was making its final approach into reagan national airport, and as we know now, 60 passengers and 4 crew members were on board, john.

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,

hundreds of first responders are scouring the potomac river for any possible survivors. sources tell cbs news at least 19 bodies have been recovered along with one of the plane's black boxes. a regional american airlines jet from wichita carrying 64 passengers and crew was coming in for a landing at reagan national airport when it collided with an army black hawk hawk chopper carrying three people on a training mission. natalie brand is at the airport with the latest developments. this is just a horrific tragedy. what do we know right now? >> reporter: reagan national airport remains closed until later this morning while this highly complex rescue operation continues. it involves more than 300 responders, both federal and local, from around the region. and it's expected to extend into the coming days. earth cam video shows the moment a commercial passenger jet and an army helicopter collided in midair just before 9:00 p.m. near washington, d.c.'s, reagan national airport. >> both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river. >> reporter: now a frantic search for any

you can see all those lights, that massive row of emergency lights parked along the potomac river for hours tonight as 301st responders continue a desperate search for passengers. >> it is so tough out there right now, so cold in those frigid waters. here's what we know. a commercial flight out of wichita, kansas was flying in for landing around 6:00 tonight when it collided with a military helicopter and went plummeting into the potomac river below. we know 64 people were on board the plane with three army soldiers on board that helicopter crews. they have been searching the river and facing challenging conditions. >> 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. >> abc seven news reporter tara campbell is live with updates on this breaking situation. tara. >> yeah, well, as we come to you live tonight, these search efforts are still underway in washington, d c s potomac river, where water temperatures are just s

. >> 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

the potomac river has an average depth of 24ft. and it's about, averaging about approximately 400 miles long from the headwaters of the north branch to its mouth in the chesapeake bay, 24ft on average. and you and i have been talking about this near where we are. it's a lot less than 24ft. 24ft is at it's its greatest depth over here in the middle of the river. that is an incredibly shallow bottle body of water. now, is that an advantage for the responders? possibly. but it also possibly could work against them because it's very brackish. a lot of sediment kicks up visibility very, very difficult. >> the conditions working against. and yet here we are hoping that there will be more information in the light hours to come. caitlin, a devastating evening as we are learning about 67 lives. what has happened? how could this have happened? >> yeah, laura, it's just awful to hear and to hear that loved ones were there at the airport, some of them to pick up their their family, their friends from this flight that that crashed with the blac

this is at the potomac river just south of the nation's capitol. right now in the darkness crews are still out in the freezing water trying to recover bodies and any clues as to what led to this deadly crash. here's a little perspective on where that search is happening. the potomac river is east of the reagan national airport in virginia and here's what we know right now. investigators say there were 64 people on that plane from wichita, kansas, and three soldiers on board the military helicopter. president trump says nobody survived. authorities say that 40 bodies have been recovered from the river so far. the secretary of defense has confirmed the helicopter was on a training flight, conducting an annual evaluation. a source tells cbs news both of the plane's black boxes have just been recovered. let's get right over to erika brown live at reagan national airport in arlington, virginia. erika. >> reporter: well, anne, those black boxes will now make their way to an ntsb lab to be analyzed and potentially offer key clues into what happened. recov

and you can see in the videos the river, the potomac river merged with the anacostia river. it's it's frozen like the water is frozen for most of the part since the inauguration day, the water has been frozen. and we're talking about a 4039 degree water temperature. we check the water temperature along with the d.c. boating community, just to see how the, you know, just you see the james creek marina in the in the photo. this is where all of the activities have happened. so what you see, d.c. police. the d.c. parks. i, d.c. parks, i can see arlington police. i can see firefighters. i can see on both sides of the river. i can see them at the reagan airport and the military base. uh, i have friends that are working right now from the d.c. park, and they can confirm if the d.c. fire as well. the u.s. park police, they can see this is not a search and rescue mission anymore. this is a recovery mission based on what they see, based on what they what they're looking at the river. and if i, if i take you out in a second where i show you the advantage view, i only see about 7 to 8 b

here from not only on the airfield, but also in virginia and in maryland and d.c., swarming the potomac river here to try and make sense of what just happened and pull bodies from the river. >> and is it clear at this point exactly why these planes were in the. >> same path? >> this is an interesting question, because this is an area of airspace that is so tremendously complex. it is like sort of the tunnel network that goes into new york city. there is a bit of a corridor here for helicopters that can fly up and down the potomac river on a north south path. that's called route four. so they can go from up north towards maryland and then go down south towards the mouth of the potomac river, near where it meets the chesapeake bay. that is something that is incredibly close to the final approach that airplanes fly here at reagan national airport. and now the question in the aviation industry is, why is that helicopter path so close to the final approach for flights landing here at national airport? this flight coming in from wichita was lined up to land on runway one to the north here. and then

to into the potomac river to continue or certain starters rescue efforts.r we waterwhich weunderstand is actually too but not actually too deep but extremely difficult to see, it dark, 7 dark7, very 7 dark7, very we7 dark7, very we were [m1 [mama 77 cold would eefieitiefie eeifie ee eele fieele very eefieitiefie eeifie ee eete fieele very difficult to survive let�*s show more about search and rescue, the the search and rescue, the latest images we have had from the scene. this first one can see blue lights of you can see the blue lights of one i the you can see the blue lights of one �*the boats being used by one of’thetoats oeino’u’sed lot rescuers one of’thetoats oeing’u’sed ioy rescuers and also one of’thetoats oeino’u’sed lot rescuers and also can the rescuers and also can see part of the clearly see part of the broken in the wreckage broken up in the emergency services water. emergency services chief has warned if are has warned if conditions are extremely as we were extremely rough as we were talking there. in the 7 7 picture 7 77? 7777777777 77 777 7 7 pictu

that commuter plane went down into the potomac river at this hour.efighters, divers are in the potomac seeking to recover what they can. the expectation is there will be casualties. we're going to return now to regular programing. we'll have a complete wrap up later on nightline. you can get the latest any time on abcnews.com

this is a live look at the potomac river near washington, d.c. the time there about 1215 in the afternoon so far. dozens of bodies, sadly, have been pulled from the icy waters. we know 64 people were on board that american airlines flight. the plane arriving from wichita, kansas. at the time, several u.s. and russian figure skating coaches, athletes and family members are said to be among the victims. three people were on board the military helicopter. officials say there are no survivors. this midday, eight hostages are free after being released by hamas led militants. as part of that the cease fire deal. the chaotic handover of some of the captives. they were faced with angry protests in israel, and they were shuttled through the rowdy crowd of thousands of masked militants. nbc news keir simmons reports from tel aviv. there were hundreds here in hostage square to watch the release of three more hostages, but for two in khan younis, it wasn't like hostage releases we've seen befe. annabelle ehud, who's only 29, was pushed and pulled really thro

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

so far, crews have recovered at least 40 bodies from the potomac river. at least one of those was a soldier from the army helicopter. reporter john paul from our sister station. abc's sister station in philadelphia. with more on the recovery mission and the investigation. he is at reagan national airport. reporter. >> the ntsb held a news conference late this afternoon saying they will investigate thoroughly this tragic crash. they are going to look at the humans involved, but also the mechanics involved in this as well. i'm standing here at reagan national airport. the runway is back open now. the potomac river behind me as i step out of the way, will push in so you can see where they're focused at this point. those boats are around the fuselage. and that blackhawk helicopter sitting in about eight feet of water there in the icy potomac river. a short time ago, sources tell abc news that dive teams ceased operations because they've recovered all the bodies they can without moving the fuselage itself. about 40 have been recovered after last night's tragic

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