On Jan. 29th, a passenger plane collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter and exploded while landing at the Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC. The two planes then crashed into the river. The police said that so far, more than 30 bodies of victims have been recovered from the scene, but no survivors have been found.

CNN pointed out in the report that the fuselage of the American Airlines passenger plane was found upside down in the river, with the fuselage broken into three parts. U.S. officials believed that "there were no survivors" and that all personnel on board the two planes that collided "have died, no one survived."

According to NBC News, a temporary morgue has been established in Washington, D.C., as a temporary place to display the remains of plane crash victims.

According to reports, the incident occurred at about 9 p.m. Eastern Time in the United States. Video from the scene showed that after the two planes collided, they exploded instantly, forming a huge fireball in the air.

It is reported that there were three soldiers on board the "Black Hawk" helicopter and they were conducting flight training at the time. The passenger plane, with 64 people on board, was preparing to land at Washington's Reagan National Airport.

According to US media reports, less than 30 seconds before the two planes collided, an air traffic controller said, “PAT 2-5 do you have the CRJ in sight?” The controller then said, “PAT 2-5 pass behind the CRJ.” Then the two planes collided.

Audio obtained by Reuters showed that as the crash occurred, an air controller could be heard saying, "Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three."

Another air traffic controller commented, "I don't know if you guys noticed what happened before, but there was a collision on the approach to runway 33. We are shutting down air operations."

A third air traffic controller said, "Both the helicopter and the plane crashed into the river. It was probably in the middle of the river. I just saw a fireball and then it disappeared. After they crashed into the river, I didn't see anything. The collision was between a CRJ passenger plane and a helicopter."

A witness described the situation when the planes collided: "I heard a loud noise, looked up, and saw a huge fireball and the wreckage of the plane falling into the river."

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told a news conference that it was unclear what caused the collision with the military helicopter.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a news conference that the American Airlines passenger plane and military helicopter were in "standard flight mode" at the time of the collision.

There were about 20 figure skaters on the passenger plane

An anonymous figure skating industry insider told the Washington Post that there were about 20 figure skaters and coaches on the downed passenger plane, including children.

"These athletes, coaches and families have just returned home from training camp," U.S. Figure Skating's governing body said in a statement. "We are deeply saddened by this unspeakable tragedy. We will continue to monitor the situation and release more information in a timely manner.”

Analysts said that these figure skaters are likely to be members of the youth development team. "The training camp is mainly aimed at youth skaters. We hope to see many of them stand out, continue to improve, participate in competitions, and even participate in the 2030 Olympic Games."

The TASS news agency quoted sources as saying that there were also two Russian figure skating world champions on board the crashed passenger plane, namely Russian skating coach and former world champion Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

Emergency crews spent the night searching the waters near Reagan National Airport after the devastating crash on the Potomac River.

Washington, D.C. Fire Chief: Search and rescue will be difficult and will last for several days

John A. Donnelly, Fire and EMS Chief of the Washington, D.C., said all search and rescue efforts are currently in the water, "but the situation is very dangerous."

He said, "The water area for search and rescue operations is about 2.4 meters deep. The wind is very strong and there is broken ice in the water, so it is difficult and dangerous to operate. The water is very dark and turbid, and it is very difficult for them to dive."

"You can imagine it's dark on the river at night, with no lights except for a few buoy lights."

Reagan Airport: One of the most complex airports for pilots to approach

A former Federal Aviation Administration accident investigator said Reagan National Airport's location makes flying to the airport one of the most complex jobs for commercial pilots in the United States. "It is not only one of the busiest airports, but also one with the most complex terrain." CNN security analyst David Soucie said, "Military and commercial airports coexist. There are restrictions on flight locations, approach methods, and aircraft entry and exit speeds. "

US media said that about 19 aircraft were in the air near Reagan National Airport when the crash occurred and were later transferred to Dulles International Airport, about 20 miles to the west.

There were 858 flights scheduled to take off and land at Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, and 869 flights on Thursday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Officials said Reagan National Airport will be closed until at least 11 a.m. ET Thursday.

It is worth mentioning that, according to the Wall Street Journal, the crash occurred on the first day that the new U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, took office.

That night he was at the Federal Aviation Administration headquarters following the accident. Duffy discussed aviation safety during his Senate confirmation hearing this month and said one of his top priorities is to address air traffic control shortages.

He said that in the aviation field, the United States needs more air traffic controllers and must use cutting-edge technology to modernize the system. Duffy promised that the Department of Transportation will work with the U.S. Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration to restore global confidence in Boeing and ensure aviation safety.

U.S. President Donald Trump said early Thursday morning that the mid-air collision between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines jet was "a bad situation that looked like it should have been avoided."

Trump wrote on his social platform: "The plane is approaching the airport on a perfect regular route. The helicopter is flying straight towards the plane for a long time. It is a clear night and the lights on the plane are shining. Why isn't the helicopter going up or down, or turning? Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking them if they saw the plane? This situation seems to be avoidable!"

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that the U.S. Army and Department of Defense had immediately launched an investigation into the crashes of military helicopters and airliners.

The National Transportation Safety Board has released photos of one of the black boxes recovered from Flight 5342. Investigators have begun looking into it.

Details about the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter's final location indicate it did not follow an approved route and flew at a high altitude as it traveled through busy airspace outside the nation's capital.

Two American Airlines pilots have been flying for many years. The airline's chief executive, Robert Isom, highlighted their experience but did not provide further details. Two Army officials confirmed that the helicopter pilots, a woman and a man, and a male staff sergeant were killed in the collision.