Wreckage from the deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport will start to be removed from the Potomac River Monday morning as officials said they have yet to locate 12 of the victims. 

The collision between a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a Bombardier CRJ700 airliner operating under PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, on Wednesday night left 67 dead. D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, Sr. told reporters Sunday that the remains of 55 victims have been identified, as the recovery effort continues.

"We believe we're going to be able to recover all of the victims. But no, we don't know where they all are at this point," Donnelly said ahead of Monday’s operation. 

Col. Francis Pera from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers said he anticipates "a successful lift," noting they will cover the wreckage with a tent to protect any human remains. 

55 VICTIMS IN WASHINGTON, DC MIDAIR COLLISION PULLED FROM POTOMAC RIVER 

"We do have a process where we will be watching the lift as it happens," Pera explained. "And then if there are remains in there, that will not move while we're recovering the wreckage. We will bring that wreckage to the surface of the barge. Our process [is] to immediately tent the barge to make sure that we have full discretion." 

"When we begin the lift process tomorrow, our goal is to really lift as much as we can – given the fact that we are also accounting for the human remains component – and then our goal is to then transfer that, those pieces of equipment over to a flatbed trailer that will now take it over to a designated hangar, so that the investigation can begin," he added. 

THIRD SOLDIER INSIDE BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER INVOLVED IN DC MIDAIR COLLISION IDENTIFIED 

Pera said divers at the site are equipped with HD cameras, whose feeds are being monitored inside a support boat. 

"So you honestly, you've got four or five sets of eyes looking inside [the] wreckage at the same time," he said. 

Pera also said that "reuniting those lost in the tragic incident is really what keeps us all going."

"We've got teams that have been working this effort since the beginning and we're committed to making this happen," he said.

On Sunday, families of the victims visited the crash site.  

Connolly said while the lift operation is ongoing, local teams "will continue to search down the shorelines and around the river to make sure that we're getting all the debris that's out there." 

"And if by chance, as a member of the public, you come across some of that, you should call 911 and report it to them, and we will get it taken care of and get it examined," he said. 

Preliminary flight data from the deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C., shows conflicting readings about the altitudes of a passenger jet and Army helicopter that collided near Reagan National Airport and killed everyone on board the two aircraft, investigators said over the weekend.

Data from the American Airlines flight recorder showed an altitude of 325 feet, plus or minus 25 feet, when the collision happened Wednesday night, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials told reporters on Saturday. Data in the control tower, though, showed the Black Hawk helicopter at 200 feet, the maximum allowed altitude for helicopters in the area.

The roughly 100-foot altitude discrepancy in the data has yet to be explained.

Investigators are working to retrieve data from the helicopter’s back box, which is taking more time because it became waterlogged after submerging into the Potomac River, in hopes of reconciling the difference. They also said they plan to refine the tower data, which could be less reliable. 

55 VICTIMS IN WASHINGTON, DC MIDAIR COLLISION PULLED FROM POTOMAC RIVER AS RECOVERY OPERATION CONTINUES

"This is a complex investigation," said Brice Banning, NTSB investigator in charge. "There are a lot of pieces here. Our team is working hard to gather this data."

Banning detailed the last moments from the jet's two black boxes, which captured sound in the cockpit and flight data just before what became the deadliest U.S. aviation accident since 2001.

"The crew had a verbal reaction," Banning said, with the data recorder showing "the airplane beginning to increase its pitch. Sounds of impact were audible about one second later, followed by the end of the recording."

Investigators did not say whether that change in angle meant that pilots were trying to perform an evasive maneuver to avoid the crash.

The collision happened around 9 p.m. EST while the regional jet was preparing to land at the airport. The jet from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying 64 people onboard, while three soldiers were on board the helicopter, which apparently flew into the jet’s path. No one survived the crash.

VP VANCE CALLS ON US ‘TO DO A BETTER JOB’ WITH AVIATION SAFETY AFTER ‘INCREDIBLY HEARTBREAKING’ DC PLANE CRASH

NTSB member Todd Inman expressed frustration to reporters, noting that the board has made "several hundred" recommendations to improve aviation safety that have not been acted upon.

"You want to do something about it? Adopt the recommendation of the NTSB. You’ll save lives," he said, adding that he has spent hours with victims' families since the crash. "I don’t want to have to meet with those parents like that again."

Families of victims visited the crash site on Sunday and divers scoured the submerged wreckage for more remains after authorities said they've recovered and identified 55 of the 67 people killed.

Officials said they are confident all the victims will be recovered from the chilly Potomac River.

NTSB investigators hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days, though a full investigation could take at least a year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ask many of Congress' frequent fliers, and they'll tell you Ronald Reagan National Airport has sent up red flags for years. 

"I've long been very, very nervous about congestion at Reagan National," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

"The congestion of the airspace around Reagan and D.C. as a whole definitely played a part in this," said Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., a former firefighting pilot. "The sheer number of aircraft in the air is as high as it's ever been."

"A lot of aircraft transit up and down the Potomac," said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut. "Getting in and out of certain areas. The Pentagon. Other military installations. Reagan right there in that highly trafficked area."

"Whenever I'm at Reagan and I see new gates being built, the terminal getting larger, I realize that there will never be another inch of runway. The skies are pretty congested," said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. "I often think there's too much activity for this small plot of land. And I'm sure there'll be a reevaluation of all of that."

REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH: MILITARY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDES MIDAIR WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES JET

The nation’s worst air disaster in nearly a quarter-century spilled into the Potomac River just short of Washington’s Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night. Sixty-seven people died after American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan., collided with an Army Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter feet from the runway.

Aviation experts say flying in and out of Reagan National is one of the most complicated airports in the country. The approach from both the north and south is over water. Pilots must navigate a narrow corridor above the river – but not fly over the nearby Pentagon. That’s to say nothing of piercing Washington, D.C.’s super-protective airspace. The White House and U.S. Capitol are clearly visible when planes take off to the north.

Moreover, the airport is known for notoriously short runways. The runway on which the American Eagle flight attempted to land stretches a little more than 5,200 feet. Slightly less than a mile in length.

That’s not even the main runway. Standard commercial runways average around 13,000 feet. The longest runway at Reagan National is about 7,000 feet. Plus, all three runways cross one another. Such a configuration is rarely seen at modern airports.

DC PLANE CRASH: ATC STAFFING LEVELS UNDER SCRUTINY AS BARGES ARRIVE TO HELP SALVAGE OPS

Last spring, there were two incidents where planes nearly crashed into one another while crossing runways.

The runways are some of the most overused in the entire American flight system. The airport was designed to handle 14 million passengers annually. But that number spiked to 25 million in 2023. The airport accommodates a staggering 800 takeoffs and landings each day.

There were efforts to close Reagan National when Dulles International Airport opened in 1962. Dulles is a monstrosity of a campus. However, it resides nearly 30 miles from Washington, D.C., proper. The nation’s movers and shakers never gravitated to Dulles when it was so easy to fly into Reagan National, deplane, catch a cab and arrive at the State Department for a meeting 15 minutes later.

Lawmakers, aviation, national security officials and the Secret Service conducted serious conversations about permanently closing the airport after 9/11. It was thought that air traffic in and out of Reagan National posed too much of a risk to the seat of government. It wouldn’t take much for hijackers to commandeer an aircraft and reroute it to Capitol Hill.

After all, one plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. The fourth plane – which went down in a field near Shanksville, Penn. – was ultimately bound for the Capitol.

DC PLANE CRASH: POTOMAC RIVER DIVERS' SEARCH FOR BODIES COMPLICATED BY CONDITIONS OUT OF THEIR CONTROL

That said, advocates for maintaining Reagan National argued it was nearly impossible to hijack a plane taking off and immediately send it barreling toward the Capitol. It takes a while to engineer a hijacking. There was simply not enough time to execute such a plan seconds after takeoff.

Still, authorities shuttered Reagan National for more than three weeks following 9/11. New safety rules were in place once the airport re-opened. Planes couldn’t have more than 156 seats. All passengers were required to be seated a half-hour before landing. Air marshals patrolled most if not all flights in and out of the airport.

The feds loosened many of those restrictions anywhere from a few months to nearly four years after 9/11. But that didn’t diminish questions about the safety of this particular airport.

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER

However, proponents of maintaining Reagan National had some of the most powerful allies in the nation: Members of Congress.

Lawmakers keep insane schedules. In fact, the invention of the jet airplane contributed to such bedlam. Lawmakers are in high demand in their districts or states – and on Capitol Hill. That’s to say nothing of conferences in Aspen or Halifax – and glitzy fundraisers in New York or San Francisco. So air travel, coupled with access to a nearby airport, is paramount in the modern Congress.

The importance of aviation is even incorporated into the Congressional vernacular.

Mondays or Tuesdays are often deemed "fly-in" days. The House and Senate don’t truly get going until late in the day during the first day of the week. Thus, votes on Monday might not unfold until 5:30 pm et in the Senate and 6:30 in the House. Depending on if the House (and sometimes the Senate) convenes on a Monday or Tuesday, Thursdays and Friday are considered "getaway" days. The House might cut town by late morning or noon on a getaway day. If the Senate doesn’t toil for five days (which has happened a lot this year, but not this week), the last vote often hits around 2:15 or 2:30 pm. on a Thursday.

Thus, lawmakers have a vested interest in keeping Reagan National operational. Even after 9/11.

Congress reauthorized programs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years in 2024. But one of the most contentious issues in the bill was whether Congress should authorize additional daily "slots" for Reagan National. New, regular flights commence in a few weeks to Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle, San Antonio and San Francisco. Lawmakers have blessed an increase of about 50 additional daily "slots" at Reagan National since the turn of the century.

It’s telling that only four senators opposed the FAA bill last year. All four were the local Washington, D.C., area senators: former Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., – who just retired – along with Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Mark Warner, D-Va., and Kaine.

The Senate confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on a bipartisan vote Tuesday. Duffy faced a crisis by Wednesday night. By Friday, the new secretary tightened up airspace around Reagan National for helicopters.

But like everything in Washington, the key to Reagan National is all about access. It’s hard to find any major airport on the planet located so close to the levers of power.

And as long as the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a myriad of federal agencies and lobbying shops exist in Washington, it’s doubtful that Reagan National is going anywhere.

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

The Senate’s lead "DOGE" lawmaker said Friday that her quest for government efficiency is beginning to come full-circle, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture instituted a return-to-work mandate she said was first spurred by a 2024 whistleblower who contacted her office.

"The Trump administration, DOGE, and I are already racking up wins for taxpayers," Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital on Friday.

"Growing up on a farm, I know what working from home really means."

President Donald Trump, too, highlighted the difference between telework in white-collar jobs and Americans in agriculture and manufacturing who don’t have the luxury of working from a desk.

In remarks to reporters, Trump said that federal workers appear less productive when working from home and that the dynamic is "unfair to the millions of people in the United States who are, in fact, working hard from job sites and not from their home."

‘DOGE’-MEETS-CONGRESS: GOP LAWMAKER AARON BEAN LAUNCHES CAUCUS TO HELP MUSK ‘TAKE ON CRAZYTOWN’

He also warned federal workers they would have to report to the office or, "You’re fired."

In that regard, Ernst looked back on a whistleblower who came to her and alleged that USDA's District of Columbia offices were largely vacant.

That, she said, spurred her to outline policy proposals that eventually became "DOGE" – a term popularized by Trump ally Elon Musk.

"When I first discovered that the Department of Agriculture was a ghost town, I took action to end federal employees’ abuse of telework and get the agency working for Iowa farmers," said Ernst.

"I have put bureaucrats on notice that their four-year vacation is over, and we are just beginning to get Washington back to work and serving the American people."

A memo from Acting Agriculture Secretary Gary Washington obtained by Politico on Thursday ordered senior staff "with assigned duty stations" to work from their offices full-time. Additional guidance would follow for workers without a preassigned workstation.

Ernst characterized the memo as that full-circle moment.

DOGE SENATOR SEEKS TO ENSURE FEDS CAN CONTINUE PURSUING COVID FRAUDSTERS, DEBTORS AS IG SOUNDS ALARM

Ernst reportedly brought up her early concerns about teleworking bureaucrats and unused Washington office space running up tabs on the federal ledger during a meeting with Trump and Musk at Mar-a-Lago last year.

She previously compiled a report following an investigation into government waste and abuse through which $2 trillion in savings could be realized if the issues were addressed.

In a December statement highlighting that report, the House Budget Committee – now led by Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas – said the Biden administration’s condoning of mass telework "generated complacency in the workforce while costing taxpayers billions in unnecessary maintenance and upkeep costs."

"Early success means there is much more to come," a person familiar with the Senate’s DOGE work added.

According to a report from the Government Accountability Office, only 11% of the USDA's office space was occupied in the first quarter of 2023, and 75% of available space across 17 federal agencies has remained empty since the pandemic.

Ernst built her initial pre-formal-"DOGE" probes off of the USDA whistleblower, which is why she believes the latest development mandating return-to-work for agriculture bureaucrats is the issue now coming full-circle.

Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., – the chairman and founder of the DOGE Caucus – praised Ernst's work and said taxpayers deserve to have a government operating at "full capacity."

"President Trump’s executive order requiring federal employees to return to work is the first step in improving government efficiency."

"This is just common sense, and the exact type of waste DOGE will continue to crack down on," Bean said.

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Ernst’s first DOGE "win" came with the passage of an otherwise Democrat-favored bill named for former President Joe Biden’s longtime friend Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., and signed as both Delawareans were departing public service.

Within the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act was a provision to compel the General Services Administration to sell the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building.

The block-long "stripped classicist" building southwest of the U.S. Capitol was designed by Philadelphia architect Charles Z. Klauder in the 1930s, and originally hosted the Social Security Administration.

However, its total occupancy dwindled to 2% – largely Voice of America workers – by 2025.

Another "DOGE" amendment sponsored by Ernst that requires agency oversight and reporting regarding telework was successfully added to a major appropriations bill passed in December.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment for purposes of this story but did not receive a response by press time. 

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders appointing a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) deputy administrator and ordering an immediate assessment of aviation safety.

The orders came after an American Airlines plane carrying 64 people and an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers crashed in midair at about 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The aircraft plummeted into the frigid Potomac River near Reagan National Airport, leaving 67 people presumed dead.

In the Oval Office Thursday, Trump signed an order appointing Chris Rocheleau acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER

Rocheleau most recently served as National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) CEO and held multiple leadership roles at the FAA during his more than 20-year tenure, including director of the office of emergency operations and investigations.

The NBAA wrote in a statement it "welcomed" the announcement.

"Chris is an outstanding leader who will be good for the FAA, good for aviation and good for the country, especially at this challenging time," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "He has demonstrated excellence at every level in the government, military and aviation industry."

DC PLANE CRASH TIMELINE: MIDAIR COLLISION INVOLVES 67 PASSENGERS, CREW MEMBERS, SOLDIERS

Trump called Rocheleau a "very capable guy" while signing the order.

A second executive order ordered an immediate assessment of aviation safety and an elevation of "competence" over diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

While signing the order, he said former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama's DEI policies were "just crazy."

The memorandum says the Obama administration introduced a biographical questionnaire at the FAA to shift the hiring focus away from objective aptitude, and the Biden administration later encouraged the recruitment of people with "severe intellectual disabilities."

"During my first term, my Administration raised standards to achieve the highest standards of safety and excellence," Trump wrote in the memo. "The Biden Administration egregiously rejected merit-based hiring, requiring all executive departments and agencies to implement dangerous ‘diversity equity and inclusion’ tactics, and specifically recruiting individuals with ‘severe intellectual’ disabilities in the FAA."

While Trump ordered an immediate return to merit-based recruitment, hiring and promotion on his second day in office, he noted the recent plane crash "underscores the need to elevate safety and competence as the priority of the FAA."

Trump said Thursday the collision was a "confluence of bad decisions that were made, and you have people that lost their lives, violently lost their lives."

When asked about the roles those with "severe intellectual disabilities" were hired to fill, the FAA told Fox News Digital it would not comment.

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this story.

The Washington Wizards held a moment of silence Thursday for the victims of the deadly crash involving a passenger jet and an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport.

The Wizards hosted the Los Angeles Lakers at the Capital One Arena, and it was the first sporting event in D.C. since Wednesday night's crash.

The Wizards had a message on their jumbotron before the game began.

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"We are deeply saddened by the tragedy near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last night," the statement said. "We extend our thoughts and prayers to those families, loved ones, and all those impacted.

LIVE UPDATES: MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT

"And we thank all the first responders for their heroic efforts across this massive coordinated effort."

An American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter, which was carrying three soldiers. All airline passengers and soldiers were presumed dead.

At least 14 members of the figure skating community were on board the plane. Six people with ties to the Skating Club of Boston were among them.

The Washington Commanders and Washington Nationals also paid tribute to those who lost their lives and showed their support for the first responders who sprang into action to find any potential survivors and recover bodies from the Potomac River.

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An aviation attorney predicts families of the midair collision victims will be filing lawsuits against both the U.S. government and American Airlines in the coming days. 

No survivors are expected after an Army Black Hawk helicopter on a training mission collided with an American Airlines regional jet carrying 64 people as the jet was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday evening. Three soldiers were aboard the Black Hawk. 

"Typically, right after — obviously, the families are dealing with a lot of shock and grief right now — a lot of times it’s really hard for people to wrap their minds around aircraft accidents because they’re just not supposed to happen," James Brauchle told Fox News Digital on Thursday, adding that air travel is "extremely safe."

"We haven’t had a commercial accident in the U.S. involving a U.S. carrier since 2009."

DC PLANE CRASH TIMELINE: MIDAIR COLLISION INVOLVES 67 PASSENGERS, CREW MEMBERS, SOLDIERS

Buffalo-bound Colgan Air Flight 3407 killed all 49 people on board on Feb. 12, 2009, after the plane stalled and crashed into a home, killing a person inside. 

Brauchle said the families’ main question as they struggle with their grief is "why did this happen? How did this happen? How could it have happened? And they really are seeking answers." 

He added that once they get through their "initial shock, that’s usually the next step is seeking the answers and wanting to know why this happened."

DC PLANE CRASH AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL AUDIO REVEALS MOMENT CONTROLLERS SAW DISASTER: ‘TOWER DID YOU SEE THAT?’

Brauchle said he doesn’t think there’s ever been a commercial aircraft crash in the U.S. that didn’t result in litigation. 

"So, I'm going to assume that that's going to happen," Brauchle said. "And that's usually done, obviously, through the filing of a lawsuit."

Based on his professional experience, he said, the airline and the government are both likely to be sued. 

Brauchle said the government’s accountability could be twofold.

"One for obviously operating the helicopter, because it was being flown by the Army, but also air traffic control that’s regulating and monitoring that airspace is FAA, which is again a government agency," he said. 

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Brauchle cautioned that it is early in the investigation.

An internal preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reportedly showed that the number of staff members working at the air control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, was "not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic."

On Wednesday night, an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C., and all 67 people onboard both aircraft are presumed to be dead.

The Associated Press obtained a report which showed one air traffic controller was working two positions at the time of the crash. 

Typically, the two assignments are split between two air traffic controllers.

FAA PANEL WARNS THAT CURRENT SAFETY LEVELS ARE ‘UNSUNSTAINABLE’

"The position configuration was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic," the report says.

The FAA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions and request for comment on the matter.

Despite the report saying the staffing was "not normal," a person familiar with the matter told the AP that staffing in the control tower at DCA on Wednesday night was at a normal level.

The person explained that the positions get combined regularly if air controllers have to step away from the console for breaks, or if they are involved in a shift change. Controllers may also have to step away when air traffic is slow, the person explained, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal procedures.

The air control tower at Reagan National has been understaffed for years with 19 fully certified controllers as of September 2023. However, staffing targets set by the FAA and the controllers’ union call for 30.

FAA INVESTS $121M FOR AIRPORT MODIFICATIONS TO REDUCE RISK OF RUNWAY INCURSIONS

The FAA’s air traffic controller shortage is nothing new at Reagan National or most of the country’s air traffic control facilities.

Last year, Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle appeared on FOX Business Network’s "The Claman Countdown" and warned that shortages could cause issues during the summer season if they were not addressed.

Biffle explained that while technology could help address the issue while promoting greater efficiencies in air travel over the longer term, the air traffic controller shortage contributes to delays and cancelations.

FAA HEAD STRESSES NEED FOR AVIATION INDUSTRY TO END CLOSE CALLS, RENEWS SAFETY PUSH

"There's opportunities to improve the technology that is kind of the backbone of air traffic control," Biffle said. "If you look to Europe, for example, there are some opportunities that we could adopt here that would be much more efficient — you'd burn a lot less fuel, get there faster and so forth. That is a big opportunity."

"At the same time, it doesn't negate the issue that I think we're 3,000 controllers short right now. And so that just causes, when you have a weather event, it just causes there to be more delays," he explained. "And ultimately, like we've seen the last few days, those delays then turn into cancelations because crews time out and so forth. [I] would really like to see the staffing get fixed. The technology is probably a longer solution."

The FAA's National Airspace System (NAS) safety review team created in April 2023 following several close runway incursions during takeoffs or landings at busy airports, determined that year that the concurrence of several challenges such as the air traffic control staffing crunch, insufficient funding and outdated technology "results in an erosion of safety margins that must be urgently addressed."

"The current erosion in the margin of safety in the NAS caused by the confluence of these challenges is rendering the current level of safety unsustainable," the team's report said.

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The cause of the shortage has been attributed to employee turnover and other factors like tight budgets, and ultimately, it has resulted in many controllers working 10-hour days and as many as six days a week, the New York Times reported.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Nancy Kerrigan spoke at an emotional news conference on Thursday after six people with ties to the skating club where she competed died in an airline tragedy near Reagan International Airport near Washington, D.C.

Kerrigan is one of the decorated members of the Skating Club of Boston, along with Dick Button, Tenley Albright and Paul Wylie.

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The Olympic silver medalist battled through tears as she spoke to reporters. Albright stood beside Kerrigan.

"Much like everyone here has been saying, I’m not sure how to process it," she said, adding that her husband, who is her agent, kept getting calls to do interviews. "I didn’t feel like it was right to be home and do interviews for this. . . . We just wanted to be here and be a part of our community."

The Skating Club of Boston identified Jinna Han and Spencer Lane as the two athletes who were killed in the crash. Their mothers and two coaches were also identified as victims.

"I’ve never seen anyone love skating as much as these two, and that’s why I think it hurts so much. . . . Anytime I’ve been able to be here and watch them grow, the kids here really work hard. Their parents work hard to be here, but I feel for the athletes, their skaters, their families, anyone who was on that plane, not just the skaters, because it’s just such a tragic event.

LIVE UPDATES: MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT

"We’ve been through tragedies before as Americans as people, and we are strong, and I guess it’s how we respond to it, and my response is to be with the people who I care about because I needed support. So, that’s why I’m here."

Kerrigan hoped the families would find the courage and the strength to take the next steps.

The Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe added that Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, and Jin Han, the mother of Jinna, and Molly Lane, the mother of Spencer, had been identified as the other victims. He announced it in a statement earlier in the day.

"Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy," Zeghibe said in a statement posted to social media. "Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together six of seven days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family. Of the skaters, coaches and parents on the plane, we believe six were from The Skating Club of Boston. We are devastated and completely at a loss for words.

"These athletes, coaches, parents were returning from U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Camp, following last week’s U.S. Championships in Wichita. This camp is for young competitive skaters of tomorrow with the promise to be a champion of tomorrow. The club sent 18 athletes to compete at the U.S. Championships. It sent 12 athletes to the National Development Camp."

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U.S. ice skater Anton Spiridonov refuted claims suggesting he was on board the commercial jet that collided in midair with an Army helicopter Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

"Russian news outlets have included me on a list of presumed people on the flight from Wichita to Washington D.C.," the skater shared on Instagram. 

"I was NOT on this flight, thank you for everyone’s concern for my safety. My heart goes out to all the families affected by this tragedy." 

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Spiridonov won the silver medal at the World University Games in 2023. He also finished sixth at the U.S. Championships that same year. Spiridonov also paid tribute to his father's former "skating partner," Inna Volyanskaya. 

"Dads skating partner," he wrote on a post to his Instagram story. "Rest in peace, Inna."

LIVE UPDATES: AMERICAN AIRLINES PLANE, ARMY HELICOPTER COLLIDE OUTSIDE REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT NEAR WASHINGTON DC

Flight 5342 carried 60 passengers and four crew members, according to a statement from American Airlines. The flight took off from an airport in Wichita, Kansas.

Authorities confirmed there were three U.S. service members aboard the Army Black Hawk helicopter when the aircraft departed Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. The airfield is located about 15 miles southwest of Reagan Washington National.

The passenger jet and the military helicopter both crashed into the Potomac River as the commercial plane was approaching one of the airport runways. In a news conference Thursday morning, officials confirmed that 27 bodies from the plane and one from the Black Hawk helicopter had been pulled from the frigid waters.

U.S. Figure Skating released a statement confirming that "several members of our skating community" were aboard the flight. The organization said they were returning home from a development camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, which concluded Sunday.

Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.

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Members of the figure skating community are presumed to have been killed in the plane crash near Reagan International Airport late Wednesday night.

The crash came hours ahead of the European Figure Skating Championships, which honored the victims in a moment of silence before skaters took the ice.

The legendary broadcast duo of Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir were on the call, and before the skating occurred, they both offered emotional tributes.

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"As we come on the air for the European Figure Skating Championships, we are all hurting today. We were absolutely heartbroken at the news that several members of our skating community were among those lost in the tragic plane crash in Washington, D.C., last night," Weir began.

Weir then read off portions of sentimental statements from U.S. Figure Skating and the International Skating Union.

After a moment of silence, presumably to hold back tears, Lipinski offered her condolences.

"It is unimaginable loss. My heart is completely broken for our skating community, their families and loved ones. My heart is with all of the families affected, and that’s the part I have no words for. It will not do it justice. It is so widespread throughout our skating community. We are such a close-knit family, and I know our skating community will never be the same. But we will always remember them," Lipinski said.

Weir added, "Our job is to make sure that everyone’s spirit lives on. It’s a tremendous loss that our community feels, and the sorrow that we feel for our tightknit community and the pain that we feel for our friends and colleagues is unimaginable today. My whole heart is with everybody affected by this terrible tragedy – we are so devastated for your loss."

First responders switched to recovery efforts in the Potomac River after it was believed that there were no survivors. There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the American Airlines flight and three soldiers aboard the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

Two former Olympians, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were also believed to be among the victims of the plane crash, the Kremlin confirmed. 

Fox News' Paulina Dedaj and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Family and friends of those who lost their lives in the deadly American Airlines and Army helicopter collision are sharing tributes online as they wait for more answers about how this tragedy happened. 

The midair crash occurred around 9 p.m. Wednesday, when an Army helicopter and an American Airlines plane collided near Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C. All 67 people onboard both aircraft are presumed dead.

Tim Lilley identified his son, 28-year-old Sam Lilley, as first officer on American Airlines flight 5342.

"I was so proud when Sam became a pilot. Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep. I know I’ll see him again, but my heart is breaking," Tim Lilley wrote in a Facebook post. "Sam was the First Officer on the flight that crashed in DC last night. He was doing great in his career and his personal life. He was engaged to get married in the fall."

REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH: MILITARY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDES MIDAIR WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES JET

"It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much," he added.

Scott Hubbard Jr., a friend and former colleague of Sam Lilley, wrote on Facebook: "I had the honor to help welcome him to one of his first flying jobs at SkyLens as the outgoing chief pilot due to starting my career at the airline. He was a phenomenal pilot. I never got to fly with him at the airlines as I changed companies but I was so proud to know him and consider him friend. My heart is heavy for his family and fiancé."

"You left an everlasting impact on us all and we are grateful for you," he added. "Blue Skies brother. And my condolences are with all the other crew members, the passengers, and military service members in the helicopter. This is a sad day."

A flight attendant on board the flight has been identified as Ian Epstein.

"It is with a very heavy heart and extreme sadness that myself along with our children Hannah Epstein and Joanna Epstein and his sister Robbie Epstein Bloom and her husband Steven Bloom and nieces Andi and Dani inform you that Ian Epstein was one of the flight attendants on American Airlines Flight 5342 that collided last night when they were landing in DC," Debi Epstein, Ian's wife, wrote in a Facebook post. "Please pray for Ian and our family as we travel to DC. We will update when plans are made."

Fox News Digital was told that Epstein, who grew up in Montreal, Quebec, had also recently become a flight attendant a few years ago, and loved traveling and his job. 

"Ian Epstein was full of life. He loved being a flight attendant because he truly enjoyed traveling and meeting new people. But his true love was his family.  He was a father, a stepfather, a husband and a brother! He will be truly missed," Epstein's family said in a statement sent to Fox News. 

DC PLANE CRASH TIMELINE: MIDAIR COLLISION INVOLVES 67 PASSENGERS, CREW MEMBERS, SOLDIERS

American Airlines has not yet confirmed the identities of Lilley or Epstein.

6 WITH TIES TO BOSTON FIGURE SKATING CLUB KILLED IN MIDAIR COLLISION, OFFICIAL SAYS

D.C. fire and EMS chief John A. Donnelly said during a news conference Thursday that he’s confident all of the bodies from the crash will be recovered.

"I’m confident that we will do that," he told reporters. "It will take us a little bit of time. It may involve some more equipment."

TRUMP SAYS REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED: 'CLEAR NIGHT'

Fox News Digital has learned the identity of another victim on board flight 5342, a mother of two young children, Wendy Shaffer. 

"I'm still waiting to wake up from this nightmare, but I fear this is the truth. Wendy was not just beautiful on the outside, but was a truly amazing woman through and through," Wendy's husband, Nate Shaffer, shared in a statement with Fox News Digital.

"She was the best wife, mother, and friend that anyone could ever hope for. Her love, kindness, and strength touched everyone she met. We will miss you more than words can express, Wendy Jo. I love you endlessly! Rest in peace, my love."

Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia announced that multiple victims were former students in the school system.

"Our hearts are heavy as we process the devastating news of last night’s tragic plane crash over the Potomac River involving an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter. This unimaginable loss has deeply affected our community, and with great sorrow, we have learned that multiple victims were former LCPS students," the school district said in a release Thursday. "Many other Loudoun families have also been impacted, and we extend our deepest condolences to all those grieving in the wake of this tragedy."

Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia said in a statement on its website that three students and six parents in the district were killed in the crash. Two of those parents were current or former FCPS staff members.

Doug Zeghibe, the CEO of the Skating Club of Boston, said Thursday that six of its members died in the collision last night.

Zeghibe said 14 skaters were returning home from a national development camp in Wichita, Kansas and six of them were members of his organization.

"Our sport and this club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy," Zeghibe said. "Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together six or seven days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family. We are devastated and completely at a loss for words."

Zeghibe identified skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane as two of the victims in the crash. Their mothers were also onboard, the Associated Press reported. Lane later posted a photo on his Instagram story with a view from inside the plane before it departed from Wichita.  

"Six is a horrific number for us, but we're fortunate and grateful it wasn't more than six," Zeghibe said. "This will have long-reaching impacts for our skating community.

Two of the members were coaches who were former world pair champions and two were teenagers. Mothers of the athletes died as well, he added.

The Kremlin said Thursday that Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who competed in multiple Olympic Games and medaled in multiple world championships, were among those aboard the American Airlines flight.

Fowl Plains hunting club in Great Bend, Kansas, wrote on Facebook that seven clients died in the crash.

"We’ve always said our clients are more than friends," the group wrote. "They’re family. Last night we lost 7 family members in the horrific plane crash. 7 family members we’ve had the privilege to hunt with the last few years."

The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA) shared on X that five of its members died in the crash.

"We are heartbroken to confirm the loss of a fifth UA Brother onboard American Airlines Flight 5342 last night. May they all rest in peace," the organization wrote in a post on X. 

This is a developing story.

Fox News' Greg Norman, Bill Melugin, and Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: The top Republican on the House Transportation Committee’s subcommittee on aviation is calling for a congressional hearing into the deadly collision between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter in Washington, D.C.

"We say we are the gold standard, we just need to continue to maintain that level," Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, who chairs the subcommittee, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

"I just want to sit down with all of them and, when the [National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)] does its report – make sure that it’s very accurate, it’s factual, and that they come up with some recommendations – and then we’ll have to see if we need to change direction or change course based upon those recommendations. But we don’t know yet."

Nehls praised Transportation Committee Chairman Sam Graves, noting his background as a pilot, and said he would be asking the Missouri Republican to convene meetings with the affected parties and those investigating the incident. Nehls suggested potential closed-door meetings to enable more candid discussions but said a public hearing would also be in order.

DC PLANE CRASH INVESTIGATORS TO REVIEW COMMUNICATION BETWEEN 2 AIRCRAFT: SENATOR 

"We have to find out the reason for the crash and then come up with, you know, recommendations to make sure it doesn’t happen again," he said. "We don’t need to be sitting on this. I don’t want to hear, ‘It’s going to take 18 months.’ I don’t want to hear that."

And it appears federal investigators are on that same page.

NTSB officials said they hope to have a preliminary report out in about 30 days.

"I think that would be fair," Nehls said. "But that shouldn't stop Congress looking into this and doing what we can to help. I think President Trump… expects it, and he has a right to expect it from us, to make sure that we keep our aviation industry the standard for the world."

And while he is hoping for quick results, Nehls emphatically cautioned against any early speculation about who or what is to blame for the tragedy.

RECOVERY EFFORTS UNDERWAY AFTER AMERICAN AIRLINES JET, MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDE MIDAIR NEAR DC

"Everybody wants to speculate as to how did this happen, why this happened. Whose fault is that? Is it the helicopter? Was it the airplane?" Nehls said. 

"I think that is irresponsible. I think you just need to give it time for the NTSB to investigate, you know, conduct a very thorough investigation."

Finger-pointing and speculation have already run rampant, however. Some have blamed Congress for authorizing too many new airline contracts at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which is closer to the U.S. Capitol than the much larger Washington-Dulles International Airport.

Others, primarily on the right, have argued that diversity initiatives by Democratic administrations helped lead to the tragedy.

"I think it’s too early for all of that," Nehls said when asked about both.

No evidence has come out to support any conclusion or cause of the crash so far.

Nehls spoke with Fox News Digital the day after a Black Hawk helicopter carrying three service members crashed into a passenger plane heading from Wichita, Kansas, which was moments away from landing at Reagan National Airport.

Both aircraft were seen plummeting into the Potomac River between Washington and neighboring Arlington, Virginia, where the airport is located.

U.S. officials have said there are no survivors, and recovery efforts are still underway.

Fox News Digital reached out to the House Transportation Committee for comment.

American Airlines has said 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the plane, and the airline encouraged any loved ones looking for information to call the numbers on its site.

Kansas’ entire congressional delegation is vowing to find answers for the families grieving loved ones after the deadly crash of a flight from Wichita to Washington D.C., which officials have said left no survivors.

A Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines PSA commercial jet that was moments from landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport Wednesday night, temporarily halting all flights in and out of the small but critically located airport.

"Our prayers are with the families and friends of those affected by the tragic plane crash that occurred in our nation’s capital. South Central Kansas is a close community, and it's likely that many of us directly or indirectly know people who were on Flight 5342 on Jan. 29," the lawmakers’ joint written statement said.

VIDEO SHOWS DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT, BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER

"This is a sad day for Kansans and our nation, and this community, steeped in aviation and manufacturing history, will feel the pain of this catastrophe for years to come. We are grateful for the first responders and rescue crews who worked through the night.

"Our focus now is supporting the family and friends of those who perished, including the crew and military personnel, and then getting answers for the grieving individuals who have lost a loved one and making sure this doesn't happen again."

It was signed by GOP Kansas senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, as well as Republican House representatives Ron Estes, Tracey Mann, Derek Schmidt and the delegation’s lone Democrat, Sharice Davids.

Estes represents much of Wichita, where the flight originated.

Moran said in a press conference shortly after midnight Thursday he was familiar with the flight route, having lobbied American Airlines for it to begin last year.

President Donald Trump briefed reporters on the crisis earlier Thursday, saying there were no survivors from the crash.

Members of Trump’s new Cabinet, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, both promised to find swift answers for the families grieving loved ones after the crash.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who represents Arlington County, where the airport is located, similarly said he would work toward accountability.

"As the local representative, I want the families to know that our office is available to serve you in any way that we possibly can in this time of grief and transition and loss," Beyer said at another press conference Thursday morning.

AMERICAN AIRLINES CEO EXPRESSES 'DEEP SORROW' AFTER MIDAIR COLLISION

"And then, also, I’d just note that we are deeply grateful for the people who risked their lives last night on a moment’s notice and spent the whole night on the river in the ice and the wind, serving us."

Beyer added that, through the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) probe into the crash, "we’ve got to make sure that, at the federal level and with the support of Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., we’re doing everything we can to make sure that this does not happen again."

American Airlines has said 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the plane, and the airline encouraged any loved ones looking for information to call the numbers on its site.

U.S. officials are investigating why the Black Hawk helicopter flew into the path of the descending plane, Duffy told reporters.

"I would say the helicopter was aware there was a plane in the area," he said.

Hegseth said the helicopter was manned by an experienced crew and was undergoing an "annual proficiency training flight."

Duffy told reporters that while the collision was a highly unusual and tragic event, the two aircraft's mutual patterns were not atypical.

Army secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll questioned whether Army helicopters should be flying training missions in one of the nation’s most congested flight paths after Wednesday's tragic Washington, D.C.-area collision.

"It’s an accident that seems to be preventable," Driscoll, an Army veteran, said during a Thursday confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"There are appropriate times to take risk and inappropriate times to take risk," he said. "I think we need to look at where is an appropriate time to take training risk, and it may not be at an airport like Reagan." 

Sixty-four people were aboard the American Airlines flight inbound from Wichita, Kan., which collided with an Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter just before it was set to touch down at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Authorities do not believe anyone survived. 

BLACK HAWK CHOPPER UNIT WAS ON ANNUAL PROFICIENCY TRAINING FLIGHT, HEGSETH SAYS

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed the three soldiers who were aboard the chopper were a "fairly experienced crew" doing a "required annual night evaluation." 

"We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft was in the quarter at the right altitude at the time of the incident," he said. 

In a blunt Truth Social post, President Donald Trump called the crash "a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented."

AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER SAYS HE WAS BARRED FROM FLIGHT THAT COLLIDED WITH ARMY HELICOPTER

"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time," Trump wrote. "It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane."

Ronald Reagan Washington National, an airport owned by the federal government, has been the subject of debate for years. It has one of the shortest runways in the industry, yet Congress approved additional flight slots in 2024 as part of its Federal Aviation Administration bill. The flight from Wichita, Kan., had just been added in 2024. 

The airport faces complicated aviation logistics near hyperprotected airspace near the Pentagon, White House and Capitol, but lawmakers have pushed to keep it open due to the convenience of its proximity to D.C. 

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"We’re gonna have to work together to make sure that never happens again," Driscoll said in his Thursday confirmation hearing, promising to take a hard look at what training was needed, particularly amid the Army's increased use of its vertical lift aircraft. 

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked a helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight, according to air traffic control audio. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later, saying "PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ" — apparently telling the chopper to wait for the Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet to pass. There was no reply, according to the audio. Seconds after that, the aircraft collided.

Military helicopters regularly cross over the D.C.-area airport's flight paths to ferry senior government officials over the Potomac River into D.C. No senior officials were on board the downed Black Hawk, according to the Army. 

Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

An estimated 67 people are presumed dead after a Black Hawk helicopter collided with a commercial American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday evening.

A total of 64 people, including four staff members, were aboard passenger American Airlines Flight 5342, and three soldiers were on the Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk that came from Fort Belvoir in Virginia. 

AMERICAN AIRLINES PLANE, ARMY HELICOPTER COLLIDE OUTSIDE REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT NEAR WASHINGTON DC

Here is a timeline of events leading up to and immediately after the Wednesday night crash:

AA Flight 5342 departs Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ITC) for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) at 5:18 p.m. CST, or 6:18 p.m. EST, according to air traffic control records from FlightRadar24.

An Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter departs Fort Belvoir as part of a training exercise. An senior Army official told Fox News the soldiers were part of a "fairly experienced" Black Hawk crew, and they had night vision goggles aboard the helicopter.

Flight 5342 began to descend into DCA from the south.

DC PLANE CRASH AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL AUDIO REVEALS MOMENT CONTROLLERS SAW DISASTER: ‘TOWER DID YOU SEE THAT?’

Air traffic controllers ask Flight 5342 to land on Runway 33, and pilots acknowledge the order.

ATC AUDIO:

An air traffic control official asks the Black Hawk (PAT-25) pilot whether he can see the commercial aircraft.

"Do you have the CRJ in sight?" the controller asks, and the helicopter pilot confirms he sees the passenger plane and requests "visual separation," meaning he is trying to get out of the flight's path, according to FlightRadar24 audio.

"PAT-25, do you have the CRJ in sight?" the controller can be heard saying to the helicopter pilot 30 seconds before the crash.

The controller makes another radio call to PAT-25 moments later: "PAT-25, pass behind the CRJ."

ATC AUDIO REVEALS MOMENT CONTROLLERS SAW DISASTER:

Army UH-60 and Flight 5342 then collide over the Potomac River, causing an explosion midair at an altitude of about 300 feet that was caught on camera.

Air traffic controllers can be heard reacting, and asking, "Did you see that?"

The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) receives phone calls reporting a plane crash over the Potomac. 

REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH: MILITARY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDES MIDAIR WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES JET

MPD, D.C. Fire and EMS, and "multiple partner agencies" begin coordinating a search and rescue operation.

DCA closes due to an "aircraft emergency."

The DC Fire and EMS Department posts an update on X stating, "Confirmed small aircraft down in Potomac River vicinity Reagan National Airport. Fireboats on scene."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posts a statement from President Donald Trump to X.

"I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise," the statement reads.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser holds a press conference with other law enforcement personnel and announces that a passenger aircraft collided with a military aircraft.

DC Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly announces that officials "have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter."

"Despite all these efforts, we are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," Donnelly says.

Officials hold a press conference in Washington, D.C., saying all 67 passengers, crew members and soldiers on board both aircraft are presumed dead.

"We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," Donnelly says during the briefing. "We don’t believe there are any survivors."

Flights resume landing at DCA; the first aircraft lands at the airport at 11:02 a.m.

A Department of Homeland Security source told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning that there are "no terror concerns" after the collision, and officials suspect the crash was "just a tragedy."

Prior to the deadly collision, there had been a military aircraft-involved crash in Alaska on Tuesday. Officials said a U.S. Air Force F-35 fighter jet crashed in Alaska after the pilot managed to safely eject from the aircraft.

There have been at least 238 deaths and 227 injuries stemming from non-combat U.S. military aircraft crashes since 2012, according to the FAA.

There have also been multiple "close call" incidents at DCA since 2023.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The fatal collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army helicopter at Reagan International Airport on Wednesday night was likely a culmination of factors, according to aviation attorney Jim Brauchle, who says "we’ve been lucky" there haven’t been more air accidents.

Brauchle is a former U.S. Air Force navigator who now represents families of victims involved in aviation disasters, including the 2019 Boeing 737 Max 8 crash that killed 157 persons in Ethiopia shortly after takeoff and a 2014 Army Black Hawk helicopter crash that killed a soldier and seriously injured two others on board during a training flight at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia.

"I hate to say this, but a lot of people in the aviation industry have predicted that there was going to be an accident," Brauchle told Fox News Digital. "No one wants to, you know, say that out loud because obviously that's a horrific thing. But there's been a lot of near misses over the last several years. And we've been, you know, we've been lucky that there haven't been more of these."

The collision happened around 9 p.m. EST when a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. The regional jet had departed from Wichita, Kansas.

VIDEO SHOWS DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT, BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER

American Airlines said the jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, while the military said three soldiers were onboard the Army helicopter. Officials said later Thursday morning that no one is expected to have survived after a massive search-and-rescue operation in the frigid waters of the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia.

Brauchle said there are several ways aircraft avoid midair collisions, especially at the busy Reagan National Airport, including transponders and traffic collision avoidance systems that most commercial aircraft are equipped with, communication with air traffic control and what he called "seeing and avoid," in which pilots keep a lookout for other aircraft and obstacles.

Brauchle said that keeping a lookout for obstacles is harder than it looks.

"Having flown at night, having tried to look and see traffic, I think most people would say, ‘Oh, how hard is it to miss an airliner,’ right? You should be able to see that. But it's a lot more difficult than people would expect," he said.

At night in an urban environment like Washington, D.C., or northern Virginia, pilots may not be able to see other aircraft and instead may rely on seeing anti-collision or landing lights, according to Brauchle. But different ambient lights from tall buildings and towers that are lit may make it difficult to distinguish which lights belong to other aircraft.

"What I've heard from the audio is that they called out to [air traffic control]. The helicopter said that he had the aircraft in sight," the attorney said. "My guess is, and again, I'm just speculating, is they saw something that they thought was the airplane, whether it be a tower light, maybe it was another aircraft that was taking off. Whatever they thought they saw obviously wasn't the aircraft."

DC PLANE CRASH INVESTIGATORS TO REVIEW COMMUNICATION BETWEEN 2 AIRCRAFT: SENATOR

Brauchle said that typically, if two aircraft find themselves on the same path, the more maneuverable aircraft is supposed to try to move out of the slower aircraft’s way.

"In this case, it's kind of a really unique situation," he said. "Both of these aircraft appear to be where they were supposed to be, or at least on the route. Maybe not necessarily the altitude."

Citing the published routes for the two aircraft, Brauchle said that even if both aircraft are exactly where they’re supposed to be, there is only a couple of hundred feet of separation.

"If you have any type of, you know altimeter error or a pilot just slightly off altitude, you very easily are putting airplanes in the same airspace," the attorney said.

Reagan National Airport facilitates commercial, private and military traffic all in a relatively condensed airspace.

5 OF THE DEADLIEST US AIR DISASTERS

"You’re combining all these different aircraft, all different types of aircraft, all in a very confined space," he said, noting the swath of restricted airspace in the D.C. area due to national security concerns. "And that's kind of what's unique, I think, about Reagan is that it is so congested in such a confined space."

The cause of the collision remains unknown in the hours after the accident. Hundreds of first responders conducted a massive search-and-rescue operation for survivors, though the operation turned into a recovery later Thursday morning.

Brauchle said that, based on his experiences litigating and investigating such accidents with the Charleston, South Carolina-based Motley Rice law firm, the families of those who died are likely in shock because airplane accidents are "not supposed to happen."

"What I've also seen from the families is they're always looking for answers," he said. "They want to know why this happened. Why did they lose their loved one?"

Brauchle said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will likely release a preliminary report in 30 days, and thinks that families will eventually seek litigation as a result of this accident.

The NTSB is leading the investigation into the midair collision, with investigators from the FAA assisting.

President Donald Trump set his sights on DEI standards at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday after a deadly in-air collision at the nation's capital.

Trump, speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room, highlighted efforts by the Biden administration to lower aviation standards, though he acknowledged that the cause of Wednesday night's crash has yet to be determined.

"We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system," Trump said. "Only the highest aptitude — you have to be the highest intellect — and psychologically superior people, were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers."

"We have to have our smartest people. It doesn't matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. What matters is intellect, talent. The word 'talent.' They have to be talented geniuses," he continued. "We can't have regular people doing that job. They won't be able to do it."

Trump later attributed the crash to a "confluence of bad decisions that were made."

VIDEO SHOWS DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT, BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER

Trump noted that he had raised the qualification standards for air traffic controllers during his first administration, but he said former President Joe Biden had lowered them once he left office.

AMERICAN AIRLINES CEO EXPRESSES 'DEEP SORROW' AFTER MIDAIR COLLISION

The president reinstated the higher standards last week with an executive order, he said.

"We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we'll probably state those opinions now, because over the years I've watched as things like this happen and they say, well, we're always investigating. And then the investigation, three years later, they announce it," Trump said, going on to detail an investigation including the FAA, the Department of Defense and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Trump went on to highlight a series of articles covering the FAA's "diversity push" that he said occurred prior to him taking office.

"The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency's website," he said.

While that language was present on the FAA's website during the Biden administration, it was also present during Trump's first administration.

AMERICAN FIGURE SKATING MEMBERS, RUSSIAN OLYMPIANS ABOARD PLANE IN REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH

When asked for comment on the initiative last year, including what roles people with disabilities would fulfill, the FAA told Fox News Digital that the agency thoroughly seeks and vets qualified candidates "from as many sources as possible" for a range of positions.

Later in the press conference, Trump criticized former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as a "disaster."

"He's just got a good line of bulls--t," the president said of the Democrat.

Reporters then pressed Trump on the facts of the crash, asking whether he had evidence that it was caused by incompetence due to DEI. Trump said the investigation is ongoing, but that "it could have been."

Buttigieg was quick to strike back on X, calling Trump's comments "despicable." 

"As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying," Buttigieg continued. "We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch."

Wednesday night's crash involved an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. It collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter carrying three service members. Trump confirmed that there were no survivors.

Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III, who famously landed a passenger plane on the Hudson River in 2009, commented on the deadly aircraft collision that occurred over the Potomac River on Wednesday night.

"We’ve had to learn important lessons literally with blood too often, and we had finally gotten beyond that, to where we could learn from incidents, and not accidents," Captain Sullenberger told The New York Times.

Sullenberger explained to the outlet that "everything is harder" when flying at night. He noted that while the pilots’ ability to see may have been impacted by the darkness, "we don’t know" whether that was the case.

"I’m just devastated by this," Sullenberger said. "We have the obligation to learn from every failure and improve."  

AMERICAN AIRLINES CEO EXPRESSES 'DEEP SORROW' AFTER MIDAIR COLLISION

At approximately 9:00 PM local time on Wednesday night, an Army Black Hawk collided with an American Airlines plane near Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C. All 67 people onboard both aircraft are presumed dead.

John Donnelly, Chief of the District of Columbia Fire Department, said on Thursday morning that authorities did not believe there were any survivors, and the mission was shifting "from a rescue operation to a recovery operation."

HEGSETH SHARES DETAILS ON BLACK HAWK CHOPPER TRAINING FLIGHT

President Donald Trump called the deadly crash a "dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital and in our nation's history, and a tragedy of terrible proportions."

"Together, we take solace in the knowledge that their journey ended not in the cold waters of the Potomac, but in the warm embrace of a loving God," Trump said.

In a video statement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that the department knows "on our side who was involved. It was a fairly experienced crew, and that was doing a required annual night evaluation. They did have night vision goggles."

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was sworn-in hours before the collision, said "everything was standard" before the crash. He also vowed to get answers for the victims’ families and the American people.

In January 2009, Sullenberger landed an Airbus A320 safely in the Hudson River after striking a flock of birds that disabled both engines shortly after takeoff; all 155 people aboard survived. His heroic actions, later dubbed the "miracle on the Hudson," were depicted in the 2016 film "Sully" starring Tom Hanks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.