Tragic Collision: 30 Bodies Recovered After Plane and Helicopter Crash into Washington DC River

Authorities recover 30 bodies after a devastating mid-air collision between a plane and a helicopter over a Washington DC river. Investigations are underway. 

At least 30 bodies have been retrieved from the Potomac River in Washington DC following a mid-air collision between an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter.

The jet, originating from Wichita, Kansas with 60 passengers and four crew members on board, crashed near Ronald Reagan National Airport. There were three soldiers in the helicopter.

Emergency services report that rescuers are operating in “extremely rough” conditions, with the water described as icy.

The US Figure Skating Association has confirmed that “several members of the skating community” were onboard the plane.

Among the passengers on board the flight were figure skaters from the US and Russia.

The governing body of US Figure Skating announced in a statement that “several” athletes, coaches, and family members associated with the organization were on the flight.

The Kremlin confirmed that Russian citizens were also on board, following local media reports that ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among the passengers.

According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Inna Volyanskaya, who previously skated for the Soviet Union, was also on board the flight.

The names of the U.S. figure skaters who were on board are unknown to us.

According to an unnamed source cited by Reuters news agency, up to 15 individuals on the flight might have had involvement in figure skating.

The collision last night involved a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, operated by PSA Airlines on behalf of American Airlines, and a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

Bombardier, previously known as Canadair, is a manufacturer of business aircraft based in Montreal, Canada.

According to the American Airlines website, the CRJ700 has a total seating capacity of 65 passengers. This particular flight was operated by American Eagle, a regional network comprising six regional carriers in partnership with American Airlines.

The UH-60 Black Hawk used by the US Army is manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft, which is a division of Lockheed Martin.

According to the manufacturer, it is equipped with twin turbine engines and can transport up to 12 fully equipped troops in a seated combat configuration.

According to Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky has manufactured over 5,000 Hawk aircraft for 36 countries across the globe.