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.
Olympic figure skaters to honor DC plane crash victims in tribute show
Champion figure skaters are coming together for a tribute show called "Legacy on Ice" to honor the victims of the plane crash.
More than a dozen of the victims killed in the crash were young skaters, their parents and coaches returning home from a national figure skating development camp.
The event will be on Sunday, March 2, at 3 p.m. at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Olympians Tara Lipinski, Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton and Johnny Weir are among those participating.
The show will raise funds to support victims' families, first responders and aviation professionals, U.S. Figure Skating said.
Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are providing a closed-door briefing on the crash to the Senate Commerce Science and Transportation Committee.
Salvage crews lift a piece of wreckage from the water, near the wreckage site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Va.
Ben Curtis/AP
Sen. Maria Cantwell, the committee’s ranking Democrat, said any involvement from Elon Musk in transportation policymaking represents a "clear conflict of interest."
"The last thing I want is that guy trying to control the airspace," Cantwell said, citing Musk’s businesses, which are regulated by the sector, and his effort to push out the former FAA administrator, who was confirmed unanimously, she said.
The NTSB should play a larger role in policy, Cantwell said, "not because we don't think that FAA is doing some part of that job," but because of the safety board’s proximity to the issue.
"We just don't think [the FAA is] doing it as aggressively enough," Cantwell said. "And we think that the people who've investigated the details of the accident know exactly what we should be doing."
Cantwell mentioned an exemption the Department of Defense was given in the rule-making process that may have relieved some technology requirements. Had full standards been met, she said, it "may have given the Black Hawk and everybody around it more data and information."
-ABC News’ Chris Boccia and Ayesha Ali
Feb 05, 2025, 4:45 PM EST
All 67 bodies identified, wreckage recovery continues
All 67 bodies have now been identified, the Unified Command said Wednesday, and the medical examiner's office is working to "ensure the dignified return of remains to their families and continue supporting the families through this process."
Crews are still working to clear the remaining wreckage out of the Potomac River.
Salvage crews lift a piece of wreckage from the water, near the wreckage site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Va.
Ben Curtis/AP
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects to remove all major parts of the American Airlines plane by Thursday. The crane operations will then shift to removing the helicopter and clearing any large debris in the remaining debris field.
-ABC News' Ayesha Ali
Feb 05, 2025, 1:58 PM EST
DOGE to help 'upgrade' aviation system, Duffy says
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on social media that Elon Musk and representatives of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team "are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system."
Duffy said Wednesday, "Before this crash took place, you had a consolidation of two air traffic controller positions. One was for helicopters, one was for aircraft, for airplanes, those positions were consolidated into one before this crash took place. So we're going to look, I'm going to look at the policies and the procedures inside the tower."
Salvage crews lift a piece of wreckage from the water, near the wreckage site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Va.
Ben Curtis/AP
Duffy said the investigation will also examine military helicopter operations around Reagan airport and potential changes to improve safety in the area.
He added that they will consider whether military helicopters should be restricted to different times of the day or whether they should be flown at all.
"We have to take a real look at the safety around this airspace and the airspace around the country, and again, we can fly training missions at a different time of night, and if we have generals who are flying in helicopters for convenience through this airspace," he said. "That's unacceptable. Get in a damn Suburban and drive, you don't need to take a helicopter. We need a whole upgrade of the airspace."
Duffy said the department will announce a plan soon on addressing the shortage of air traffic controllers.
In response to Duffy's remarks, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it "welcomes the opportunity to work with the Secretary of Transportation on improving the recruitment, training, and retention of highly qualified air traffic controllers to help address the chronic staffing shortage."
