Washington DC Plane Crash: 'Black boxes' recovered; official says ‘no clear reason yet for crash’ | 10 points to know

A collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C, killed 67 people. US President Donald Trump in a briefing on Thursday informed that there were no survivors.

Washington DC Plane Crash LIVE

Here are 10 points to know

1. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been recovered from the passenger jet that crashed into Washington's Potomac River after a deadly midair collision with a military helicopter, US media reported. National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Peter Knudson said, “The recorders are at the NTSB labs for evaluation,” as quoted by AP.

2. Earlier on Thursday, the U.S. authorities said that it was not yet clear why a regional jet crashed into a U.S. Army helicopter at a Washington airport in the deadliest U.S. air disaster in more than 20 years.

3. During the briefing on Thursday, President Donald Trump, without providing evidence, said that federal diversity efforts could have been a factor, reiterating a theme that has become a focus of his presidency.

4. Rights groups and Democrats accused him of politicising the disaster. Asian Pacific American Caucus criticizes Trump’s comments blaming DEI and said, “President Trump has made baseless claims that seek to blame people of color for this horrific tragedy. It is despicable,” read the statement from the congressional caucus. “We don’t need racist lies, we need answers, and a leader who will put aside partisan politics to unite our country. President Trump has failed to meet this moment. The American people deserve better.”

5. The airspace around Washington, D.C., is congested and complex — a situation that aviation experts have long feared could lead to disaster, as reported by AP report. Even in optimal flying conditions, navigating the airspace near Reagan Washington National Airport is a challenge for even the most experienced pilots. who must navigate hundreds of other commercial planes, military aircraft and restricted areas around sensitive sites as they must navigate hundreds of other commercial planes, military aircraft and restricted areas around sensitive sites.

6. The investigation into the U.S.'s deadliest airline crash since 2001 has raised concerns about the dangers at Reagan National Airport, which has seen several near-misses in recent years. Experts and some lawmakers are worried that airspace congestion could worsen following Congress' decision last year to lift restrictions that limited the airport to nonstop flights within 1,250 miles of Washington, with few exceptions.

7. Ross Aimer, a retired United Airlines captain and chief executive officer of Aero Consulting Experts said “This was a disaster waiting to happen. Those of us who have been around a long time have been yelling into a vacuum that something like this would happen because our systems are stretched to extremes," as quoted by Associated Press.

8. According to Russian news agencies, the world champion couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the 1994 pairs title, were on the plane carrying 60 passengers.

9. Local citizens in the US have expressed grief on the tragic incient. While speaking to news agency ANI, a local citizen said, “When the rescue operations were going on here, as you see it right now, it was similar to this. It wasn't like there was a lot of police. I have seen more police at a traffic stop or at a car accident than I saw here today. But it was really a tragedy... This is one of the worst tragedies to ever happen in the DC area or Arlington in general. It's really sad to see this happen. I'm praying for the community.”

10. American Airlines set up a hotline as well as centers in Washington and Wichita for people searching for information about family members who may have been aboard the downed flight. The hotline can be reached at 1-800 679 8215.

(With inputs from Associated Press)