Washington, D.C
Washington DC plane crash live: flight data and cockpit voice recorders recovered, officials say
Key events
What caused this tragic aviation disaster is not yet known, but the National Transportation Safety Board investigators has said it will have a preliminary report within 30 days.
Despite the lack of clarity, newly inaugurated US president Donald Trump has accused his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden of lowering hiring standards and suggested the Federal Aviation Administration’s diversity push could have weakened its capabilities.
The comments come as president Trump has pushed back against what he has described as the “woke policies” of his predecessor.
Asked if the crash was caused by diversity hiring, he said: “It just could have been.”
The Trump administration has not provided any proof to back these assertions, and there is no evidence that efforts to make the federal workforce more diverse have compromised air safety.
Following the crash, Trump signed an executive order on aviation safety that rolls back diversity initiatives and repeated claims without evidence that those initiatives contributed to Wednesday’s fatal collision.
Satellite images of earlier recovery efforts
A closer view below:
A satellite image shows runway 33 and crash recovery operations in progress in the Potomac River after a Black Hawk helicopter struck the American Eagle Flight 5342, an American Airlines passenger jet, near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 30, 2025. Photograph: Maxar Technologies/Reuters
It’s almost 10pm in Washington DC, and almost 24 hrs since a fatal mid-air collision between a regional passenger jet and a US Black Hawk military helicopter – a tragedy that has been described as one of the worst aviation disasters in the US in decades.
There were 67 people on board both aircraft, and there are no survivors.
Washington’s fire and emergency department said its divers had searched all accessible areas and would conduct additional searches to locate aircraft components on Friday.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Wednesday’s night’s collision between a regional passenger jet and a military helicopter near Washington DC’s Reagan airport.
The flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been recovered from the American Airlines flight, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced, and they are now at the NTSB’s labs for evaluation.
The NTSB said earlier on Thursday that it was too soon to determine the causes of the disaster and pledged to release a preliminary report within 30 days.
Early scrutiny focused on an initial Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report on the incident which called the staffing levels at a DC air control tower “not normal,” since one controller was reportedly handling both helicopters and planes.
But the Associated Press and CNN have both reported that sources told them this level of staffing was, in fact, “normal” or “not uncommon.” The FAA has long struggled with a shortage of air traffic controllers and identified fatigue as a factor that might lead to mistakes, the Associated Press noted.
Here’s a summary of other developments:
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With the 67 people aboard both the American Airlines flight and the army Black Hawk helicopter all presumed dead, the collision is being called “the deadliest aviation disaster” in the US since 2001. At least 28 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River, with recovery operations ongoing.
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A day before Wednesday night’s midair collision near Reagan airport, a different jet there had to abort its landing and make a second approach after a helicopter appeared near its flight path, the Washington Post reported.
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The US army saw an increase in very serious aviation incidents during the last fiscal year, with 15 flight and two ground incidents that resulted in deaths of service members, destruction of aircraft, or more than $2.5m in damage to the airframe, the Associated Press reported,
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Donald Trump and members of his administration claimed, without evidence, that diversity efforts at the FAA under the Biden and Obama administration could be to blame for the crash, with Trump specifically claiming that the FAA had been accused of being “too white,” and suggesting efforts to hire Americans with disabilities were irresponsible.
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Trump signed an executive order that rolls back diversity initiatives to stop “woke policies” in federal aviation.
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The Trump administration’s choice to draw an unfounded connection between a deadly tragedy and diversity initiatives at a press conference sparked broad condemnation from Democratic politicians. They called the comments “disgusting,” “despicable,” and “racist,” with Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries saying that Trump was “blaming women and people of color for the deadly plane crash.”
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As many as 14 skaters and coaches, including two 16-year-olds and a married pair of world champions, were onboard the American Airlines plane. The Skating Club of Boston said Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, both aged 16, and the Russian-born ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were husband and wife, were on the flight.
‘No Kings’ protests across DC
Thousands of people took to the streets of Washington, D.C., and across the U.S. on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump’s administration as part of massive “No Kings” protests.
WASHINGTON – Washington, D.C., and the surrounding DMV area are set to host the third major “No Kings” march and rally this Saturday, March 28, 2026, as part of a wave of nationwide demonstrations planned for the same day.
Event details:
Organized locally by area chapters of Indivisible and allied grassroots groups, the event aims to draw protesters to downtown Washington and surrounding counties to oppose policies of the Trump administration and to voice broader concerns about civil rights and democratic norms.
The march will kick off at 10 a.m., with participants gathering at Memorial Circle near Arlington Cemetery, with additional access from the Blue Line or nearby parking at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, according to the event organizers. There is no public parking in the immediate area, but participants can be dropped off at the circle.
People take part in a “No Kings” protest in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo by Li Rui/Xinhua via Getty Images)
From there, the procession will head across the Memorial Bridge into Washington, D.C., passing the Lincoln Memorial and continuing on to the Washington Monument.
At the conclusion of the march, participants can walk to a downtown rally, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
A broader movement
Big picture view:
A nationwide series of “No Kings” protests is set for March 28—over 3,000 events are scheduled.
These protests are organized by groups including Indivisible and the broader 50501 Movement, which have coordinated previous actions in June and October 2025 that drew millions of participants nationwide, including in Washington, D.C.
Other ‘No Kings’ rallies in the DMV
Dig deeper:
In addition to the main rally in downtown D.C., several other demonstrations tied to “No Kings 3” are scheduled around the DMV this Saturday.
In Arlington, Virginia, activists are organizing a march across the Memorial Bridge beginning at 10 a.m., with protesters expected to continue into West Potomac Park before joining larger crowds in the District proper, for example.
There are hundreds of “No Kings” events scheduled to take place this Saturday throughout the DMV. You can click here to find a list of all of them.
The Source: Information from “No Kings” organizers, Indivisible, Mobilize and previous FOX 5 DC reporting.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (FOX Carolina) – The Great Mother March has begun a 500-mile pilgrimage from Asheville, North Carolina, to Washington, D.C.
Organizers said the 32-day journey is a women’s empowerment pilgrimage inspired by the Buddhist monks’ Walk for Peace.
“This is a universal movement,” founder Whitney Freya, an artist, author and sacred activist, said. “Everyone has a mother. Every tradition reveres a Great Mother. And we all depend on Mother Earth. This march is a call to honor those truths while reminding us what is possible when we move together, with intention, hope, and love.”
The march is expected to end April 22, Earth Day, when participants reach the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
Here’s a look at the group’s route:
Organizers said the group will walk alongside the Appalachian Mountains through rural communities in North Carolina and Virginia, with planned stops including Black Mountain, Old Fort, Marion, Linville and Boone, North Carolina.
From there, the group plans to travel via Todd and West Jefferson, North Carolina, and the River Country Campground along the New River, to the Peace Pentagon near Independence, Virginia.
The marchers are expected to arrive in Galax, Virginia, on April 1, then continue to Hillsville, Floyd, Ferrum and Rocky Mount, arriving in Rocky Mount on April 5.
The group is expected to reach Lynchburg on April 9 and travel up U.S. 29 to Waynesboro, arriving April 12.
Organizers said the marchers plan to arrive in Charlottesville on April 13 and spend April 14 at IX Art Park to rest and prepare for the final leg to Washington.
From Charlottesville, the group plans overnight stops in Barboursville, Orange, Culpeper and Warrenton, Virginia, before arriving in Manassas on April 19. Additional stops include the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia, and Alexandria, Virginia, ahead of the group’s arrival in Washington on April 22.
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Copyright 2026 WHNS. All rights reserved.
A U.S. Park Police officer was shot in Washington, D.C., while on duty, according to a statement from the agency.
Park Police said the officer was shot at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in Southeast Washington on Queens Stroll Pl.
The officer has been transported to a local hospital, officials said.
The circumstances of the shooting are unclear. A Park Police spokesperson told ABC News the officer has non-life-threatening injuries.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X that she has spoken to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll and was briefed on the shooting.
“Please pray for the officer’s recovery,” the attorney general said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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