Were There Any Survivors in the Washington, D.C. Plane Crash? Here's Everything We Know
The plane crash was the first major mid-air collision in more than a decade.
Published Jan. 30 2025, 9:42 a.m. ET
After more than 16 years without a mid-air collision, people across the country are reeling from the news that an American Airlines passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
Details about the crash are continuing to come to light, and its immediate cause is still unclear.
Following news of the collision, many want to know whether anyone might have survived. Here's what we know.
Were there any survivors in the Washington, D.C. plane crash?
D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said that there are not believed to be any survivors following the crash, per CNN.
“We are now at a point where we’re switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” he said in a news conference on Jan. 30. 27 bodies have been recovered from the passenger jet, and one from the military helicopter.
It is believed that there were 64 people aboard the passenger jet and three on the helicopter, and Donnelly expressed confidence that his team would be able to recover the bodies of all those involved.
“I’m confident that we will do that, and that will take us a little bit of time, though. It may involve some more equipment," he said.
Even as the recovery effort continues, many are starting to wonder what series of events might explain this.
What caused the plane crash?
It will be some time before the exact reasons for the plane crash are clear. At the moment, though, there is a lot of finger-pointing happening, as various groups involved suggest that someone else is responsible.
“We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but … what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Meanwhile, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom suggested that he wasn't sure why the helicopter had flown into the jet's path.
“At this time, we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft,” he said. Duffy, meanwhile, suggested that both crafts were flying normal routes, which doesn't really explain why the two might have collided.
Isom added that American Airlines pilots were experienced. “These are experienced pilots,” said Robert Isom. “I know that the captain had … almost six years with PSA (Airlines), and the first officer almost two years.”
Duffy did not have information on the helicopter pilots but clarified that just because it was a training mission doesn't mean those flying were inexperienced.
“We call these missions that are flown in the D.C. area as our pilots are getting hours and experience training missions,” said Duffy, “so don’t read into that how many hours the pilots on the military aircraft had.”
As details continue to emerge, what's undeniable is that this is a tragedy that will reverberate for days and weeks to come, no matter where the blame ultimately falls.