D.C. plane crash: What we know so far about the deadly disaster

No Canadians are believed to have been on board the American Airlines plane that crashed into a military helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va.

Dozens have died, however, with “no survivors,” according to U.S. President Donald Trump, who called it a “real tragedy.” Investigators are now trying to determine how the collision occurred.

Global Affairs Canada told Global News on Thursday that it is “not aware of any Canadians onboard” American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C.

“Global Affairs Canada extends deepest sympathies to all those affected by the plane and helicopter crash in Washington D.C.,” the department said.

“Officials are in touch with local authorities and continue to gather more information.”

At least 28 bodies were recovered from the Potomac River following the collision Wednesday night.

A search-and-recovery operation is underway to find the remaining 39 passengers and soldiers who remain unaccounted for.

“Sadly, there are no survivors,” Trump said during a news conference Thursday morning.

“This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history, and a tragedy of terrible proportions.”

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said it was a “very sad” and “tragic” event that led to the loss of life.

“This morning, we all share in a profound sense of grief,” Bower said at a separate Thursday news conference.

American Airlines Flight 5342 was en route from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night. There were 60 passengers onboard and four crew members.

The CRJ700 Bombardier-made regional jet was midair and on its final approach for landing at the busiest commercial runway in the U.S. when it crashed into a U.S. army Black Hawk helicopter that was on a “training mission.”

Bombardier, a Canadian aviation firm, sold its regional jet program and the associated maintenance facilities to Mitsubishi Aerospace in 2019.

Roughly one minute before the crash, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National and the pilots said they were able, according to audio recordings from the pilots and air traffic controllers.

Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight tracking sites showed the plane adjusting its approach to the new runway.

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the Black Hawk helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.”

Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.

The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet (732 metres) short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river.

Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.

Officials are still investigating what exactly caused the collision. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, along with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Army.

NTSB officials said Thursday they had “substantial” data and evidence already but were still processing the scene, and investigators will still need to review and analyze the materials collected and interview people involved. The aircraft, crew members’ recent history and any “human error” factors will all be reviewed.

A preliminary report will be released within 30 days, the NTSB said.

Investigators have not yet recovered the flight data recorders or the black boxes from either aircraft, officials confirmed Thursday, but said they were confident they will be able to do so. Those devices will provide critical information about both aircraft’s final moments before the collision.

U.S. Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy said it was a “clear night” and both the plane and helicopter were in a standard pattern.

“This was not unusual with military aircraft flying the river and the aircraft landing at DCA,” Duffy told reporters earlier Thursday.

“But obviously, it is not standard to have aircraft collide,” Duffy said, adding that “something went wrong here.”

When asked by a reporter if the plane was aware there was a helicopter in the area, Duffy paused and said: “I would say the helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area.”

He said as the investigation moves forward, more details will be provided.

“We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas,” Trump said.

He said the helicopter and plane shouldn’t have been flying at the same height at the same time and “somebody should have been able to point that.”

“So you had a confluence of bad decisions that were made and you have people that lost their lives, violently lost their lives.”

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is also assisting with the probe. The department told Global News that two accredited representatives have been appointed to participate in the investigation.

It is normal for the country of manufacture to have representatives in the investigation, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations for all civil aircraft operations, and this plane as a Bombardier model was Canadian-manufactured.

“It is with great sadness that I learned of the mid-air incident,” Transport Minister Anita Anand said in a statement. “I would like to offer my heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends affected by this terrible incident.

“Canada is ready to support our American counterparts in the investigation.”

The American Airlines plane had a total of 64 people on board.

Among them was a group of U.S. and Russian figure skaters, their coaches and family members who were returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.

Two of those coaches were identified by the Kremlin as Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 world championships and competed twice in the Olympics.

The Skating Club of Boston lists them as coaches and their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skater for the U.S.

Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, along with their mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han, were also on board the flight, the Skating Club of Boston said. 

Skate Canada told Global News in an email that it is not “currently aware of any Canadians who were on the flight.”

“Skate Canada is deeply saddened by reports of a tragic American Airlines plane crash involving members of the figure skating community,” it said in a statement on its website.

“While details are still emerging, our hearts are with U.S. Figure Skating, as well as the athletes, coaches, and families affected by this devastating incident.

–with files from Global News’ Sean Boynton, Sean Previl and Ashleigh Stewart, and The Associated Press

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