What investigators revealed about the jet and helicopter collision in D.C. that killed 67

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• Geoff Bennett:

  We are following two major stories tonight. More of President Trump's Cabinet picks faced tough questions during confirmation hearings today.

  But, first, investigators are trying to determine why a military helicopter collided in midair with a passenger jet as the plane was trying to land at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Officials say they believe everyone on board both aircraft were killed.

• Amna Nawaz:

  The plane, which was flying from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying 60 passengers and a crew of four. Three soldiers were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter. It is the deadliest air crash in the United States in more than two decades.

  John Yang begins our coverage with this report.

• Tower:

  PAT-25, do you have CRJ in sight?

• John Yang:

  This is the terrifying moment of impact, when an American Airlines flight with 64 people on board collided with an Army helicopter as the passenger jet was landing at Washington Reagan National Airport.

  The fiery crash came just before 9:00 Wednesday night, triggering a massive search-and-rescue effort. Hundreds of first responders frantically probed the icy water of the Potomac River. At daybreak, Washington, D.C., Fire Chief John Donnelly said they had recovered dozens of bodies, but no one is still alive.

• John Donnelly, Washington, D.C., Fire Chief:

  Despite all those efforts, we are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident.

• John Yang:

  Today, the wreckage of the Bombardier CRJ700, a popular regional jet, sat in waist-deep water split into three pieces.

  As first responders continued their work, questions swirled about how the crash could have happened on a clear night in the nation's capital. During a White House news conference, President Trump blamed the three soldiers flying the helicopter.

  Donald Trump, President of the United States: The people and the helicopter should have seen where they were going. I can't imagine people with 20/20 vision not seeing what's happening up there. Again, they shouldn't have been at the same height.

• John Yang:

  He also blamed, without offering proof, DEI policies that he said had been set in motion by former Presidents Obama and Biden and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

• Donald Trump:

  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 Web site.

• Question:

  I'm trying to figure out how you can come to the conclusion right now that diversity had something to do with this crash.

• Donald Trump:

  Because I have common sense, OK? And, unfortunately, a lot of people don't. We want brilliant people doing this. This is a major chess game at the highest level.

• John Yang:

  Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said investigators will consider all factors.

• Jennifer Homendy, Chair, National Transportation Safety Board:

  As part of any investigation, we look at the human, the machine and the environment. So we will look at all the humans that were involved in this accident. Again, we will look at the aircraft, we will look at the helicopter, we will look at the environment in which they were operating in. That is part of — that is standard in any part of our investigation.

• John Yang:

  On X, Buttigieg called Trump's response "despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. Time for the president to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again."

  The midair collision was in some of the country's busiest and most sensitive airspace within sight of both the Capitol and the White House. Flight tracking data showed the Black Hawk helicopter was heading south along the river's path at an altitude of about 400 feet.

  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

• Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary:

  On a routine annual retraining of night flights on a standard corridor for a continuity of government mission. The military does dangerous things, it does routine things on the regular basis. Tragically, last night, a mistake was made. I think the president is right. There was some sort of an elevation issue that we have immediately begun investigating at the DOD and Army level.

• John Yang:

  The flight originated in Wichita, Kansas, a nonstop route introduced just last year.

  Today, there were tributes for the dead, including Sam Lilley, the 28-year-old first officer on the passenger jet. Among the passengers on the American flight were several U.S. American figure skaters and two former world champion Russian skaters, now coaches, all returning from a training camp for elite skaters that followed last week's U.S. figure skating championships in Wichita.

  Nancy Kerrigan, 1994 Olympic Silver Medalist: Much like everyone here has been saying is not sure how to process it. Shoot. I'm sorry, which is why I'm here.

• John Yang:

  Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is a former member of the Skating Club of Boston, which said six of its members were on the flight, including young Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine.

• Nancy Kerrigan:

  We just wish them well and, like, the families, the courage and the strength to make the next steps. I don't know how. You look at people who go through tragedies and you wonder, how do they do it? I don't know, but we're so strong. Somehow, we have a reservoir to dig from and each one of them are strong enough to get through this somehow.

• John Yang:

  Doug Zeghibe is the club's CEO.

  Doug Zeghibe, CEO, Skating Club of Boston: Skating is a very close and tight-knit community. These kids and their parents, they're here at our facility in Norwood six, sometimes seven days a week. It's a close, tight bond. And I think, for all of us, we have family.

• John Yang:

  The NTSB says it'll have a preliminary report in 30 days, but a final report won't be ready until they have final conclusions. They're still scouring the debris field at the bottom of the Potomac for evidence to help in that investigation.

  Of course, the key will be the flight data recorders, the so-called black boxes, from both the helicopter and the passenger jet. But NTSB officials say a priority now is recovering the remaining bodies so that families could be reunited — Amna.

• Amna Nawaz:

  John, as you reported there, even as that recovery mission was under way looking for those bodies in the river and the investigation had just gotten under way, we saw President Trump take to the Briefing Room and offer that analysis and start to attack Democratic administration and diversity initiative.

  What's been the reaction to those remarks from the president?

• John Yang:

  There have been very strong reactions from people who work in the transportation safety field, particularly at the fact that he drew conclusions less than 24 hours after the incident.

  I spoke with Peter Goelz. He's the former managing director of the NTSB. He said he was appalled by the president's performance. He said: "In one hour, President Trump did more to damage the impeccable reputation of the U.S. safety system than anyone has done in the past 40 years."

• Amna Nawaz:

  John, meanwhile, dozens of families are now mourning the loss of their loved ones. What's being done to help and support them at this moment?

• John Yang:

  A lot of the families, at least some of the families are still on their way to Washington. American Airlines has set up an assistance center in Bethesda.

  The NTSB says they will brief family members, answer — and answer what questions they have. And as is often common in cases like this, many family members will want to visit the crash site itself, which in this case is out in the Potomac. And the NTSB says they will do that, they will arrange it as soon as they can do it with the proper modesty and dignity — Amna.

• Amna Nawaz:

  John Yang at Reagan National Airport for us tonight.

  John, thank you.