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DC plane crash live updates: Investigators comb through wreckage for clues

All 67 people on board the plane and the helicopter were killed in the crash.

Last Updated: February 6, 2025, 4:43 PM EST

Hundreds of families are in mourning after an American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Jan. 29, with both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C.

No one survived.

Sixty-four people were on board the plane, which departed from Wichita, Kansas. Three soldiers were on the helicopter.

Feb 04, 2025, 12:35 PM EST

Flight attendant honored with water cannon salute

Ian Epstein, a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 5342, was honored with a water canon salute on Monday night as the plane carrying his body left Washington, D.C., to return him home to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Epstein was a beloved father, husband, brother and stepfather and "was full of life," his family said in a statement.

Ian Epstein, 53, died when a passenger jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter collided above the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
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Flight attendant killed in DC plane crash honored with water cannon saluteIan Epstein, 53, died when a passenger jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter collided above the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
AFA / Sara Nelson

-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney

Feb 03, 2025, 7:53 PM EST

Husband and wife farmers from Kansas among crash victims

Bob and Lori Schrock -- farmers from the small town of Kiowa, Kansas -- died last week in the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, family friends confirmed to ABC News.

The founders of Premium Grain, Inc., the couple pioneered a method of rotating winter wheat with canola to improve the health of farmland.

"The goal on the farm is to produce crops that can tell a story, where they came from and what makes the journey unique," a quote from Bob Schrock on the company’s website reads.

They were traveling to Pennsylvania to visit their daughter in college, multiple local outlets reported.

A memorial and funeral for the couple is scheduled for this weekend.

-ABC News' Peter Charalambous

Feb 03, 2025, 4:40 PM EST

Drone video shows plane, helicopter submerged in Potomac

The National Transportation Safety Board released drone video filmed Thursday showing an overhead view of the downed American Airlines plane and Army Black Hawk helicopter submerged in the icy Potomac River.

Drone video filmed by the National Transportation Safety Board on Jan. 30 shows an overhead view of the downed American Airlines plane and Army Black Hawk helicopter.
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Drone video shows plane, helicopter submerged in PotomacDrone video filmed by the National Transportation Safety Board on Jan. 30 shows an overhead view of the downed American Airlines plane and Army Black Hawk helicopter.
ABCNews.com

Feb 03, 2025, 4:39 PM EST

Crews plan to recover cockpit on Tuesday

Crews on Monday removed one of two plane engines and the plane fuselage from the water, and have started removing a wing, an Army official said.

They hope to finish recovery of the plane over the next 24 hours, the official said.

Crews plan to recover the cockpit on Tuesday, but winds may impact their work, the official said.

An excavator is visible on the Potomac River for recovery efforts after the American Airlines crash in Arlington, Va., Feb. 03, 2025.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Fifty-five sets of remains have been positively identified, D.C. Fire and EMS Assistant Chief Gary Steen said.

Some human remains were found during Monday’s operations; these and previously recovered remains are in the process of being positively identified, Steen said.

Officials believe more remains are within the wreckage, Steen said.

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