An American Airlines regional jet went down in the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after colliding with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, with no survivors.
Map of the area around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the layout of Runway 33, which the regional American Airlines jet was approaching at the time of the collision with the Army Black Hawk helicopter, according to officials.
ABC News, Google Earth, Flightradar24, ADS-B Exchange
The Black Hawk's black box -- a combined cockpit voice recorder and digital flight data recorder -- has been recovered in good condition, NTSB member Todd Inman said during a briefing.
The jet's two black boxes were recovered on Thursday. The flight data recorder was found to be in good condition, while the cockpit voice recorder had water intrusion, which is not uncommon, Inman said during the briefing.
Inman said they have high confidence they will be able to extract data from all three black boxes.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators examine cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder recovered from the American Airlines passenger jet that crashed with an Army helicopter Wednesday night near Washington, Jan.30, 2024.
NTSB via AP
Jan 31, 2025, 5:51 PM EST
Saturday to see 'significant' salvage operations: NTSB
Barges are en route to the crash site and should be on site early Saturday morning to help salvage the aircraft debris, NTSB Member Todd Inman said during a briefing.
"After their arrival, they will be secured and located, and then significant salvage operations will continue," he said. "They are ongoing right now, but this will be the main lifting."
An American Eagle plane departs the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as search and rescue teams work nearby in Arlington, Va., Jan. 31, 2025.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Jan 31, 2025, 4:34 PM EST
Black Hawk will be lifted out of Potomac today
The crashed Black Hawk helicopter will be lifted out of the Potomac River today.
A Coast Guard crane arrives to remove the wreckage of a military Black Hawk helicopter after the crash of an American Airlines plane on the Potomac River as it approached the airport, Jan. 31, 2025 in Arlington, Va.
Al Drago/Getty Images
Jan 31, 2025, 3:39 PM EST
Helicopter restrictions in place at Reagan
The Federal Aviation Administration is not giving permission for low-altitude helicopter routes around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the FAA told ABC News.
Helicopters can still fly into and out of the airport, but are restricted from flying specific river routes.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the "restrictions will remain in place until the NTSB completes its preliminary investigation" of the crash, "at which point it will be reviewed based on NTSB’s report."
Roberto Marquez from Dallas, Texas, sets up a makeshift memorial for the victims of the deadly mid air collision near Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, Jan. 31, 2025.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
The restricted area includes: over the top of Reagan; Haines Point to Wilson Bridge; and Memorial Bridge to South Capitol Street Bridge, excluding the Tidal Basin.
The restriction does not include "helicopters entering this airspace for lifesaving medical support, active law enforcement, active air defense, or presidential transport helicopter missions that must operate in this restricted area," the department added.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom thanked the Trump administration for its "quick and decisive action" to restrict helicopter activity around the airport.
"We are all hurting as we continue to grieve the loss of our passengers and team members," Isom said in a statement. "In the days ahead, we will work tirelessly with the Administration and leaders in Congress to make our aviation system even safer, including by increasing investments in infrastructure, technology and personnel."
