Washington, January 31, 2025: Investigators have recovered the black boxes from a passenger plane involved in a mid-air collision with a military helicopter over Washington’s Potomac River, an incident that claimed 67 lives. Rescuers are continuing to recover victims’ bodies from the icy waters.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed on Thursday that it had retrieved both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder from the Bombardier jet, operated by an American Airlines subsidiary. The crash, which occurred late Wednesday, involved the jet colliding with an Army Black Hawk helicopter.
“The recorders are now at NTSB labs for evaluation,” the agency said in a statement.
According to a preliminary report by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there was a staffing shortage at the control tower at Reagan National Airport, where the American Eagle Flight 5342, en route from Wichita, Kansas, was preparing to land when the collision took place. The control tower was staffed by a single controller instead of the usual two, who were responsible for both civilian and military air traffic.
The impact of the collision caused a fireball to erupt in the night sky, and both aircraft plunged into the frigid Potomac River, forcing rescue crews into a grim and challenging search for bodies in the darkness. As of Thursday evening, media reports indicated that over 40 bodies had been recovered.
US President Donald Trump, speaking at a press conference, used the tragedy to launch a political attack, blaming diversity and inclusion policies implemented by his Democratic predecessors for the incident. Trump accused former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama of prioritizing diversity over competence in federal aviation staffing, claiming that directives had led to the exclusion of qualified personnel in favor of a more diverse workforce.
The crash, which killed 64 people aboard the passenger plane and three in the Black Hawk, is the first major aviation disaster in the United States since 2009. American Eagle Flight 5342 was nearing its landing approach at Reagan National, a busy airport close to Washington, DC’s downtown and key government buildings. The airspace, regularly used by both civilian and military aircraft, is known for its complexity.
The tragedy has prompted widespread criticism from Democrats. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, responding to Trump’s remarks, called the comments “despicable,” noting that Trump’s rhetoric shifted attention away from the victims’ families and blamed a longstanding societal issue instead of addressing the disaster itself.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy denounced Trump’s comments, calling them “disgusting” and pointing out that the incident occurred under Trump’s watch. Despite the backlash, Trump issued an official memo directing the government to investigate what he described as a deterioration in hiring standards under Biden and the potential need for the replacement of unqualified staff.
The passenger jet carried several US skaters and coaches, along with Russian figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were traveling together. Additionally, two Chinese nationals were among the victims, as confirmed by state news agency Xinhua.
The force of the collision made it clear that there were likely no survivors. An air traffic controller was overheard describing the immediate aftermath, stating, “I just saw a fireball and it was gone.” Both aircraft were reportedly following standard flight paths under clear conditions with good visibility at the time of the crash. The Black Hawk helicopter, which was involved in a required annual night evaluation, had a highly experienced crew.
