The plane crash with the military helicopter, all involved in the accident are believed to be dead

Authorities believe that all the people aboard American Airlines aircraft that crashed into the Black Hawk helicoter of the American Armed Forces as he approached the landing track at Washington's national airport “Reagan” have died. On the Potomac River, near the airport where the plane and the helicopter crashed, a wide search-saving operation is under way.

There were 60 passengers and 4 crew members on the American Airlines Company's flight. Three members of the U.S. Army were on the helicopter, performing a training flight. Officials said that while research continues, they do not believe there are survivors.

At least 28 troops have been exhumed from the icy waters of the Potomac River, after an American Airlines airliner with 64 people aboard and a Black Hawk helicopter of American Armed Forces crashed into the air near Washington's national airport “Reagan”.

Officials said they continue the search, but do not believe there are survivors, which makes this the most deadly air accident in the United States in almost 24 years.

Fire Department officials said Thursday morning that a rescue operation was now being passed on to research operation.

The American Airlines aircraft was found in the depths of the Potomac River. So were the helicopter ruins.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced that the plane was travelling from the town of Winchita of Kensas and was approaching the landing track when the crash to Sikorsky H-60 helicopter occurred.

Video footage recorded at the “Kanedy” centre in Washington has caught an explosion in the air along the Potomac River around 9:47 p.m. at the local time and the speeding fire plane. Data from the plane indicates that it was at an altitude of about 120 meters during the crash.

Less than 30 seconds before the explosion, air traffic controllers ask if you see the plane coming

“PAT-25, do you see CRJ?” The controller makes another call moments later. “PAT-25 Pass CRJ”

At the moment before the crash, an air traffic controller is heard saying “saw this?”

Afterwards, auditors begin announcing flight evasion to other airports in the region.

There is no notice of the causes of the crash. Flights at the “Reagan” have been cancelled by noon today as emergency teams continue their search. The search operation has sent helicopters from law enforcement agencies throughout the region.

We will find all our citizens”, said Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington City Hall.

The U.S. Artistic Skating Organisation said that some members of it and their family were among the travelers on the plane.

The Kremlin announced that on board the plane were former winners of the Artistic Skating Championship, Russian-born citizens Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

United States President Donald Trump said the event should have been prevented. In a post of the Social Truth network he said that “is a clear night, the lights on the plane are shining, why the helicopter didn't go up, or it didn't sit, or it didn't come back. Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if he saw the plane”, President Trump wrote. “This is a bad situation that seems to have been prevented. No MIRES.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called the situation “obsolutely tragic”.

“Search-saving efforts are still under way. Praying for all the souls affected and their families”, Secretary Hegseth said on the X network.

aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas says the helicopter had not lit the tracking system, naming it a tragic mistake.

This was a helicopter flying a training flight. Apparently it didn't turn on ADS-B tracking system. This is a signal sent to air traffic to track planes. And it's also a vital component of another system called T The CAS, which is the Conclusion Avoidance System, with which civil and military aircraft are equipped, signaling other aircraft in case of a crash course. But ADS-B has to start”, says the expert.

There hasn't been a fatal plane accident in the United States since February 2009, when 50 people died as a result of an air accident in New York City. / VOA