DC plane crash investigators recover American Airlines black boxes after midair collision

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser offered "love and prayers" to the loved ones of those lost to Wednesday's midair collision.

In a letter, Bowser thanks first responders and reflected on the grief being felt across the country over the collision that killed 67 people.

"I am sending our love and prayers to the families, loved ones, and communities affected – we know that includes families here in our city and region, in Kansas and across the country, and even around the world," she wrote.

"There is a profound sense of loss and grief," the mayor added.

Bowser also urged local residents to call the Crisis Lifeline if they need grief counseling.

More than 90% of the country's 313 air traffic control facilities operate below staffing levels recommended by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

As of January, 285 facilities were below levels set by the FAA and the union that represents controllers, the New York Times reported.

In at least 73 facilities, at least a quarter of the workforce is missing, the report said.

A Washington D.C.-based attorney on the American Airlines plane that collided with a military helicopter was on the aircraft after she made a last-minute decision to fly back early to celebrate her birthday with her boyfriend after a business trip.

Elizabeth “Liz” Keys, 33, and her boyfriend, David Seidman, had plans to dine at a local hotspot before hosting friends at a joint birthday party Saturday, the Washington Post reported.

Seidman’s birthday is Sunday.

“She was just the best partner and so special, had such a sharp wit, and just really pushed everyone around her to be the best version of themselves,” Seidman told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Keys graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and began her work as an attorney with Wilkinson Stekloff in DC, according to her profile on the firm’s website.

Former U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio said congressional lawmakers were warned for years that the Washington D.C. region's airports were at capacity.

In an interview with Politico, the Oregon Democrat said pleas by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to Congress fell short. Meanwhile, lawmakers continued to vote to add more flights to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which was already struggling with its heavy load and a shortage of air traffic controllers.

“Every senator in particular wants a nonstop flight to and from wherever they live,” DeFazio told the news outlet.

He noted that a reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration which passed last year added even more flights at DCA.

“The airport said, ‘Don’t do it.’ And they did it," he said. "So they added to what DCA said is already an overly congested and over-capacity airport.”

DeFazio spent 36 years in the House and served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which he chaired from 2019-2023.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, detailed the sequence of events that resulted in Wednesday's deadly midair collision in a series of X posts on Friday.

Cruz, who chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which oversees the aviation industry, said he's been briefed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

"Flight 5342 was initially scheduled to land on Runway 1 at Reagan but was redirected to Runway 33," he wrote. "Meanwhile, the helicopter was traveling along Route 1 before being shifted to Route 4."

"We know that air traffic control confirmed with the helicopter crew that they had visual contact with the plane. Controllers then instructed the helicopter to move behind the plane," he added. "However, instead of complying, the helicopter moved in front of the aircraft. The two aircraft collided mid-air, resulting in a catastrophic explosion."

He noted that both black boxes have been recovered.

A single air traffic controller was monitoring both airplanes and helicopters at the time of the devastating Reagan National Airport crash, new reports revealed.

A Reagan National Airport (DCA) tower supervisor allegedly let another air traffic controller leave work early Wednesday night. The F.A.A. calls for one controller to monitor planes, while another monitors helicopters.

A preliminary report indicated that staffing levels at the time of the collision were “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”

Radio transmissions do indicate that air traffic control warned the Black Hawk pilot of close proximity to the approaching American Airlines plane.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom on Friday thanked President Donald Trump for his leadership on aviation safety and his response to the deadly midair collision.

“We are all hurting as we continue to grieve the loss of our passengers and team members," Isom said in a statement. "I thank President Trump for his leadership on aviation safety. I applaud him, Secretary Duffy and the Administration for taking quick and decisive action today to restrict helicopter activity around DCA."

“In the days ahead, we will work tirelessly with the Administration and leaders in Congress to make our aviation system even safer, including by increasing investments in infrastructure, technology and personnel,” he added.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recovered the black box from the Army Black Hawk helicopter that crashed midair with an American Airlines passenger plane near Washington D.C. on Wednesday night.

During a press conference Friday night, NTSB member J. Todd Inman confirmed that the box, which is located in the cockpit, is intact.

There is no exterior damage, "indicating it is not compromised," Inman said.

Authorities also provided more details about the two black boxes recovered Thursday from the passenger plane, noting they have a "high level of confidence" information will be retrievable.

The flag data recorder was in "good condition" and crews are working on a download in the "near future," Inman said.

The voice recorder was opened and water intrusion was identified, but Inman said the NTSB "deal[s] with this all the time."

It was soaked in ionized water, then put in a vacuum oven to remove moisture. Crews are checking electric connections to attempt a download, and have "a high level of confidence."

A deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport Wednesday night revealed a number of safety lapses officials are now scrambling to address.

The Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, was allegedly flying too high and on the wrong path, when it crashed into an American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members.

Air traffic controllers were allegedly understaffed and are now accused of not being "proactive enough" in preventing the crash by directing the plane and helicopter to fly away from each other. Instead, the controller requested the helicopter avoid the plane.

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order calling for an immediate assessment of aviation safety.

The Federal Aviation Administration will restrict helicopter traffic around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport airport, effective Friday.

The decision was made with the support of President Donald Trump and in consultation with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to a post on X from Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy.

"Today’s decision will immediately help secure the airspace near Reagan Airport, ensuring the safety of airplane and helicopter traffic," Duffy wrote.

The change is part of the DOT's ongoing commitment to safeguarding airspace and upholding the highest standards of air travel safety, according to the post.

"We will continue to support [President Trump]'s directive to achieve uncompromised aviation safety," according to Duffy. "The American people deserve full confidence in our aviation system and today’s action is a significant step towards restoring that trust."

The restricted area includes:

- Memorial Bridge to South Capitol Street Bridge, excluding the Tidal Basin

- Haines Point to Wilson Bridge

- Over the top of DCA

Fog settled above Washington D.C. as crews continue recovery efforts amid cold conditions in the Potomac River on Friday.

"In my view, it may slow it down, slightly, but we are all the units out here," Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said Friday about the weather conditions.

"The people working work year-round in all conditions. We're going to be careful," he added. "We're going to make sure we don't hurt anybody else, but the weather we've seen so far is weather we can work in. And if that were to change, that would affect it. But we haven't seen that."

A cold front is expected to move through Friday evening with possible rain, which could see temperatures in the Potomac River dip. Current water temperatures are hovering above freezing.

Crews will have to remove the fuselage from the water in order to recover the rest of the remains, authorities said Friday.

"I believe for us to recover the rest of the remains that we are going to need to get the fuselage out of the water," Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly told reporters. "A lot of our operations, not all of them, but a lot of our operations today are focused on the helicopter."

So far, authorities have recovered 41 sets of remains and have identified 28 of those victims, officials said.

"Going forward with our recovery operations, search teams will continue to work the site, will do side to side sonar scanning, searching the shoreline and aerial aberrations -- our dive teams are working in targeted areas," Donnelly said.

The family of the third solider killed in Wednesday's deadly midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is requesting their identity not be publicly released, the Army said Friday.

The Army has named the other soldiers killed in the collision. They were identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia.

Eaves' remains have not been recovered. He served in the Navy from August 2007 to September 2017 before transitioning to a Black Hawk pilot for the Army in September 2017.

O’Hara began serving as Black Hawk helicopter mechanic in July 2014.

The flight number of the flight involved in the deadly collision with a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday will be retired, American Airlines announced today.

"Service between Wichita, Kansas (ICT) and Washington, D.C. (DCA) is currently scheduled to operate tonight as AA5677," the airline told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Flight AA5342 will not be used for any future American Airlines flights."

Airlines typically retire a flight's number following serious incidents.

A Connecticut youth soccer coach who is presumed dead following the Washington, D.C., plane crash is being hailed for enriching the lives of children in his community. 

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Casey Crafton of Salem was a “a dedicated father, husband, and community member.”  

“Coach Casey was a valued volunteer with Montville Youth Soccer who helped to enrich the lives of all those that he came in contact with,” the Montville Youth Soccer Club said in a post on Facebook. “Our deepest condolences go out to his family during this tragic time.” 

Crafton leaves behind his wife Rachel and three sons, Greyson, Easton and Knox, according to the Norwich Bulletin newspaper.

Footage taken from a dashcam captured the moment the American Airlines passenger jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night.

The video was recorded from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C.

During the video, a fireball could be seen lighting up the night sky after the two aircraft collided.

All 67 onboard both aircraft are presumed dead and bodies are still being recovered Friday from the Potomac River.

A source who captured the video, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Storyful they hope it "helps with the investigation" and that they are "traumatized" after witnessing the tragic event.

Cedarville University student Grace Maxwell has been identified as one of the 60 passengers onboard the American Airlines plane that collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport earlier this week. 

The university located outside of Columbus, Ohio, told 10TV WBNS that Maxwell was a junior majoring in mechanical engineering. 

“Grace was a quiet person with a keen interest in helping others through engineering,” an advisor at the school, Tim Norman, told the station.

Cedarville University President Thomas White said Friday that “We grieve, and we’re sad, and we don’t know why a young, bright, shining star was taken from us way too soon,” according to the Dayton Daily News.

“But we know there’s a God that will make all things new. So we grieve, but not as ones without hope," he added.

The newspaper reported that Maxwell was traveling back to the school after attending her grandfather's funeral in Wichita, Kan.

Everly and Alydia Livingston, figure skaters who were known as the "ice skating sisters" on social media, have been identified as being among the 67 presumed dead in the midair collision near Reagan National Airport. 

Videos and photos show the two sisters skating together and doing their own routines at various competitions. 

Donna Livingston and Peter Livingston, their parents, died in the Wednesday crash as well. 

"I knew Donna in college. She was a wonderful, positive, and sweet person," the Livingstons' friend, Scott Molony, wrote in a Facebook post. "I watched her life and family grow and evolve through social media, including the two beautiful, talented daughters she shared with her husband. They were clearly proud, loving, supportive parents, devoted to their daughters’ love of ice skating." 

Fox News' Stepheny Price, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Alexandra Koch and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that President Donald Trump “believes that it is still indeed safe and Americans should feel safe travelling our skies.” 

“We certainly have seen the deterioration of federal hiring standards at the FAA and the president wants to increase those standards,” she added. “He wants pilots in this country who have the great responsibility of flying American citizens by the tens of millions every single day to be chosen for that position based on their merit and their skills, so the administration will continue to prioritize this.”