Video footage shows first responders saluting the flag draped remains of a victim who was killed during the tragic plane crash near Washington, DC, on Wednesday evening.
The tragedy happened when an American Airlines jet crashed into an Army helicopter midair at Ronald Reagan National Airport, Fox 5 reported on Thursday.
The clip shows the remains of the unidentified victim draped in an American flag as crews transferred the individual to a waiting ambulance in silence. The first responders at the scene stood in rows to honor the victim.
MORE DETAILS: Passengers aboard the American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River included figure skaters returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and two of their Russian coaches. https://t.co/R6zVDuBTQn
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 30, 2025
The jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members when the crash happened. It then plummeted into the Potomac River, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Thursday.
“The crash occurred in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of the White House and the U.S. Capitol,” the article said.
Additional video footage shows crews at the scene and the moment the collision happened, according to ABC 7:
D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said officials do not believe there were any survivors of the accident.
He added that crews had recovered 27 bodies from the plane and one from the helicopter:
#BREAKING from D.C. Fire & EMS chief John Donnelly: "Despite all those efforts we are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident. We have recovered 27 people… pic.twitter.com/Xh9CpW5XXh
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 30, 2025
According to Fox 5, “Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: ‘PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.’ Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided,” the report said.
There were three soldiers onboard the helicopter that was a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, according to the AP.
“Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were aboard the plane, along with other Russian nationals, according to the Kremlin. Coaches, skaters and others had been in Wichita for the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which concluded Sunday, and a development camp,” the article also noted.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom: "At this time, we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA [Airlines] aircraft." pic.twitter.com/B8lcMStZx1
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 30, 2025
In a social media post late Wednesday, President Trump said, “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time.”
“It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!” he continued.
“What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!” Trump added.
