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DC plane crash live updates: Investigators comb through wreckage for clues

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NTSB

'Wall of Hope' memorializes DC plane crash victims

Hundreds of families are in mourning after an American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Jan. 29, with both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C.

No one survived.

Sixty-four people were on board the plane, which departed from Wichita, Kansas. Three soldiers were on the helicopter.

Feb 04, 2025 8:00 PM

Trump called American Airlines CEO Monday night

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said President Donald Trump called him Monday night to offer condolences for the crew members, passengers and their loved ones.

PHOTO: Crews work to retrieve the wreckage of American Eagle flight 5342 in the Potomac River, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the river, Feb. 4, 2025, as seen from Virginia.

Nathan Howard/Reuters

Crews work to retrieve the wreckage of American Eagle flight 5342 in the Potomac River, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the river, Feb. 4, 2025, as seen from Virginia.

Nathan Howard/Reuters

Isom said in a letter to American Airlines employees on Tuesday that Trump "asked me to relay to all of you his personal appreciation for the work you are doing to support the families and his concern for the well-being of our entire team."

"President Trump also made clear that aviation safety is a priority for his Administration," he said. "We look forward to working with him on behalf of all our customers and team members in the name of safety."

PHOTO: Wreckage is lifted from the water onto a salvage vessel near the site in the Potomac River of a collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 4, 2025, in Arlington, Va.

Ben Curtis/AP

Wreckage is lifted from the water onto a salvage vessel near the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 4, 2025, in Arlington, Va.

Ben Curtis/AP

The airline will observe a moment of silence Wednesday, marking one week since the crash.

-ABC News’ Ayesha Ali

Feb 04, 2025 5:36 PM

Flight attendant honored with water cannon salute

Ian Epstein, a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 5342, was honored with a water canon salute on Monday night as the plane carrying his body left Washington, D.C., to return him home to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Epstein was a beloved father, husband, brother and stepfather and "was full of life," his family said in a statement.

Ian Epstein, 53, lost his life when a passenger jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter collided above the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

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AFA / Sara Nelson

Ian Epstein, 53, died when a passenger jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter collided above the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney

Feb 04, 2025 12:54 AM

Husband and wife farmers from Kansas among crash victims

Bob and Lori Schrock -- farmers from the small town of Kiowa, Kansas -- died last week in the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, family friends confirmed to ABC News.

The founders of Premium Grain, Inc., the couple pioneered a method of rotating winter wheat with canola to improve the health of farmland.

"The goal on the farm is to produce crops that can tell a story, where they came from and what makes the journey unique," a quote from Bob Schrock on the company’s website reads.

They were traveling to Pennsylvania to visit their daughter in college, multiple local outlets reported.

A memorial and funeral for the couple is scheduled for this weekend.

-ABC News' Peter Charalambous

Feb 03, 2025 9:39 PM

Drone video shows plane, helicopter submerged in Potomac

The National Transportation Safety Board released drone video filmed Thursday showing an overhead view of the downed American Airlines plane and Army Black Hawk helicopter submerged in the icy Potomac River.

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Drone video filmed by the National Transportation Safety Board on Jan. 30 shows an overhead view of the downed American Airlines plane and Army Black Hawk helicopter.

Feb 06, 2025 9:50 PM

Black Hawk helicopter removed from Potomac

Pieces of the downed Black Hawk helicopter were removed from the Potomac River on Thursday as the investigation into the cause of the crash continues.

PHOTO: Rescue and salvage crews pull up a part of a Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided midair with an American Airlines jet, at a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Va.

Jose Luis Magana/AP

Rescue and salvage crews pull up a part of a Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided midair with an American Airlines jet, at a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Va.

Jose Luis Magana/AP