American Airlines Plane Crash in Washington DC: 28 Bodies Recovered, 64 Feared Dead | Latest Updates

American Airlines Plane, Black Hawk Helicopter Crash in Washington DC: In the hours following the terrible mid-air crash involving a military helicopter of the United States and a passenger jet carrying 64 flyers, US officials stated that there were probably no survivors from the wreck.

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"We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly told a news conference at Reagan National Airport.

"At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors," Donnelly said, adding that 28 bodies had been recovered -- including one from the helicopter.

On Wednesday, eastern time, a regional jet operated by the subsidiary airline of American Airlines, PSA Airlines, collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashed on the icy Washington waters of the Potomac River.

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Washington plane crash: Here are 10 latest updates

1. An American PSA Airlines plane carrying 64 passengers collided with the US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday and sank into the icy waters of the Potomac River in Washington.
2. Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly declared a high likelihood for no survivors in the collision as recovery operations saw 28 bodies pulled from the river into which both aircrafts had crashed.
3. With the grounding of all aircraft at Reagan National ordered by the Federal Aviation Authority, operations were due to resume on the 11:00 hour (1600GMT).
4. US Figure Skating said that there were athletes, coaches, and several officials on board, while married Russian couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov who won the 1994 world pairs title were confirmed to have been onboard by officials in Moscow.
5. In dramatic audio recordings, air traffic controllers can be heard repeatedly asking the helicopter if it had the passenger jet "in sight," and just moments before the crash telling it to "pass behind" the plane.
6. No information was available concerning the circumstances surrounding the crash transport authorities said that both aircraft were on normal flight patterns under a clear night with fine visibility.
7. Fire Chief Donnelly said around 300 first responders have been involved in what were described as "extremely rough" recovery conditions.
8. Donald Trump's first reaction to the situation was a scathing post on social media: "Why didn't the helicopter go up or down, or turn? Why wasn't it told (by the control tower) what to do rather than asking if they saw the plane?"
9. The FAA and NTSB have commenced investigations into the crash.
10. As the dawn slowly broke over the crash site, the powerful arc lights set up on emergency vessels and inflatables with diving teams worked throughout the crash area-a wide section of the river.

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