DC plane crash updates: Remains of 55 victims recovered and positively identified
All 67 people on board the plane and the helicopter were killed.
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.
Sixty-four people were on board the plane, which departed from Wichita, Kansas. Three soldiers were on the helicopter.
The collision happened around 9 p.m. when the PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet was on approach to the airport.
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Helicopter appeared to be flying above mandated 200 feet
An early focus for investigators is the flight path of the helicopter, which appeared to be flying at about 350 feet -- above the mandated 200 feet, according to sources familiar with the operation.
Another focus is communications between the helicopter and air traffic control and whether they were communicating as they should have been, sources said.
-ABC News’ Pierre Thomas and Aaron Katersky
Soldiers on helicopter had night vision goggles: Hegseth
The Army helicopter, which had three soldiers on board, was on an "annual proficiency training flight" at the time of the crash, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a video message.
"It was a fairly experienced crew that was doing a required annual night evaluation," Hegseth said. "They did have night vision goggles."
The crash happened on a clear night, officials said.
Officials are working to determine if the helicopter was "in the corridor and at the right altitude" at the time of the crash, Hegseth said.
"It's a tragedy," Hegseth said.
Debris found in DC, Maryland and Virginia
Debris from the crash has been found in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., sources told ABC News.
Piers and shoreline parks in the area -- including Daingerfield Island, Gravelly Point, Hains Point and the National Harbor -- have been closed to assist with recovery efforts.
-ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson
Black boxes not recovered
The black boxes from the American Airlines plane have not been recovered, a source with direct knowledge told ABC News.