Officials say little hope for survivors in Washington DC plane and chopper crash

Almost no survivors are expected from the American Airlines flight and military helicopter crash into the Potomac River near Washington DC, officials said on Jan 30.

Several members of the U.S. Figure Skating team were among the 60 passengers and four crew members traveling on the American Airlines plane and three people were onboard the military helicopter.

Russian world figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were also reportedly on the flight.

Addressing a news conference with other officials at Reagan National Airport on Jan 30, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly shared an update on the search and recovery effort in the Potomac River.

“At this point, we don’t believe there are survivors from this accident, and we have recovered 27 people from this plane and one from the helicopter,” Donnelly said.

Rescuers are conducting a recovery operation, as there are not believed to be any survivors from the crash, Donnelly said. He said that he is confident that crews will recover all bodies of those killed in the collision.

"That will take us a little bit of time, though. It may involve some more equipment," he added.

According to him, numerous agencies including Maryland State Police, the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board and more local authorities will assist in the effort.

So far 28 bodies have been found, Donnelly said and added first responders are dealing with extremely frigid conditions on the Potomac River.

Addressing reporters, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said there was no communication breakdown between the American Airlines flight and a military helicopter that collided.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

"Something went wrong here. I look forward to the time and point when we can give you that information, but I don't want to comment on that right now." Duffy said.

It was a "clear night", the pilots were "experienced" and everything was standard in the lead-up to the crash, Duffy said, adding but "obviously something happened".

One area investigators are focusing on is why the helicopter was flying at that location - earlier, US President Donald Trump also questioned why it didn't "go up or down, or turn"

U.S Figure Skating in a statement confirmed members of their community were onboard the aircraft.

"U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.," the statement said.

"These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas," the governing body added.

"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available," the statement concluded.

The plane, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, had been traveling from Wichita at the time of the accident. The 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships had been held in the city from Jan. 20 until Jan. 26, the U.S. Figure Skating website stated.

1994 pairs figure skating world champions Evgenia Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55, were also among those onboard the plane, reported Reuters news agency.

Shishkova and Naumov won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships in pairs skating, as well as one silver and four bronze medals at the European Championships. They also "claimed victory at the International Skating Union Grand Prix Final for the 1995/96 season," according to the Reuters.