Recovery Teams Pull More Than 40 Bodies from Potomac as Investigation Begins

A midair collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport Wednesday night has claimed 67 lives, marking the deadliest US aviation disaster since 2001. Recovery teams pulled more than 40 bodies from the Potomac River by Thursday afternoon before suspending operations due to darkness. The commercial flight, carrying 64 passengers from Wichita, Kansas, collided with the military helicopter carrying three soldiers during its final approach to the airport. Among the victims were prominent figure skating coaches, young athletes, and military personnel.

Timeline of Events

  • January 28, 2025, 8:11 PM: Republic Airways Flight 4514 reports a near-miss with a helicopter, performs an emergency go-around
  • January 29, 2025, Evening: AA Flight 5342 departs Wichita, Kansas
  • January 29, 2025, Night: Midair collision occurs near Reagan National Airport
  • January 30, 2025, Morning: Recovery operations begin
  • January 30, 2025, Afternoon: Over 40 bodies recovered
  • January 30, 2025, Evening: Operations suspended due to darkness

5 Key Points

  • All 67 people aboard both aircraft are confirmed dead.
  • Black boxes from the commercial plane have been recovered.
  • The helicopter was flying approximately 100 feet above its restricted altitude.
  • One air traffic controller was managing both local and helicopter traffic.
  • A similar near-miss incident occurred at the exact location just one day prior.

Recovery Operations Battle Potomac’s Winter Waters

As temperatures dropped Thursday evening, dive teams pulled their last victim of the day from the murky waters of the Potomac River. More than 40 bodies have been recovered since the collision, yet the most challenging phase of the operation lies ahead. Four victims remain trapped within the commercial aircraft’s fuselage, while two soldiers’ bodies stay entombed in the helicopter wreckage. DC Fire Battalion Chief James Roberts ordered operations suspended until daybreak, citing dangerous night conditions and poor visibility. A specialized crane, expected to arrive within two days, will cut through the twisted metal to reach areas divers cannot access.

Young Athletes’ Final Journey

The gymnasiums of the Skating Club of Boston fell silent Thursday as news spread of the devastating losses. World champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, whose 1994 pairs victory inspired a generation of skaters, perished alongside their young students. Thirteen-year-old Jinna Han had dreamed of Olympic glory. Her coach, Doug Zeghibe, remembered watching her transform “from a spindly little kid into this long, lithe skating beauty.” Despite only skating for three years, Spencer Lane had shown remarkable promise. Ten-year-old Alexis Winch played an online game with her friend aboard the doomed flight just minutes before the crash. Her father, Jeff, later told WJLA, “She was sitting on the couch with her iPad… less than 30 minutes later, the catastrophic crash happened.”

Critical Flight Path Questions Emerge

Analysis of radar data revealed the Black Hawk helicopter flew at 300 feet—a full 100 feet above its mandated ceiling—while the commercial jet descended to 400 feet on final approach. Greg Feith, who led numerous NTSB crash investigations during his career, pointed to this altitude discrepancy as a crucial factor. “These military pilots are highly disciplined. They knew the routes; they had the experience. So why were they off their altitude?” The previous day’s near-miss involving Republic Airways Flight 4514 and another helicopter adds weight to growing concerns about Reagan National’s complex airspace.

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Airspace Safety Record Under Scrutiny

The day before the fatal collision, Republic Airways Flight 4514’s pilot radioed a stark warning to Reagan National’s control tower: a helicopter had crossed dangerously close to their flight path. That near-miss forced an emergency climb maneuver, one of three similar incidents documented at the airport since 2022. Air traffic controllers have long juggled the complex dance of commercial flights and military helicopters in the restricted Washington airspace. On the night of the crash, a single controller managed local and helicopter traffic—a staffing arrangement Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, defended as routine.

Military Service Members Remembered

Ryan O’Hara, one of three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk, built his career maintaining and training others on the helicopter he ultimately died in. “I’ve flown dozens of flights with Ryan O’Hara, trying to tap into his expertise on hoist operation,” recalled Chief Warrant Officer 5 Josh Muehlendorf. O’Hara graduated from Parkview High School in Gwinnett County, Georgia, in 2014, where he served on the ROTC rifle team. He leaves behind a wife and one-year-old son.

International Impact Broadens

Chinese state media confirmed two of their citizens perished in the crash, while Argentina and Chile each lost one national—an elderly father and his adult son. The Fairfax County Public School system bore a hefty toll, losing three students, six parents, and two staff members. At Cedarville University in Ohio, students mourned junior Grace Maxwell from Wichita. Flight attendant Ian Epstein, 53, known for befriending passengers on every route, left behind four children.

Response from Aviation Experts

Former US Airways Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, known for the “Miracle on the Hudson” landing in 2009, called for enhanced safety measures in the region’s airspace. “A few years ago, we had a lot of close calls that concerned us,” Sullenberger told CNN. Drawing from her experience as a Black Hawk pilot, Senator Tammy Duckworth highlighted a critical safety gap: commercial planes lose their collision prevention systems during the final approach. “When they get close to landing, the system that prevents collisions actually turns off,” she explained.