DC plane crash timeline: Midair collision involves 67 passengers, crew members, soldiers

An estimated 67 radical are presumed dormant aft a Black Hawk chopper collided with a commercialized American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, implicit the Potomac River successful Washington, D.C., connected Wednesday evening.

A full of 64 people, including 4 unit members, were aboard rider American Airlines Flight 5342, and 3 soldiers were connected the Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk that came from Fort Belvoir successful Virginia. 

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

Here is simply a timeline of events starring up to and instantly aft the Wednesday nighttime crash:

Jan. 29

5:18 p.m. CST

AA Flight 5342 departs Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ITC) for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) astatine 5:18 p.m. CST, oregon 6:18 p.m. EST, according to Air Traffic Control records from FlightRadar24.

Jan. 29 D.C. plane-helicopter collision map.

8:39 p.m. EST

Army UH-60 Black Hawk chopper departs Fort Belvoir arsenic portion of a grooming exercise. An Army elder authoritative told Fox News the soldiers were portion of a "fairly experienced" Black Hawk crew, and they had nighttime imaginativeness goggles aboard the helicopter.

8:40 p.m. EST

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?’

8:46 p.m. 

Air postulation controllers inquire Flight 5342 to onshore connected Runway 33, and pilots admit the order.

ATC AUDIO:

8:48 p.m. EST

An aerial postulation power (ATC) authoritative asks the Black Hawk (PAT-25) aviator whether helium tin spot the commercialized aircraft.

"Do you person the CRJ successful sight?" the controller asks, and the chopper aviator confirms helium sees the rider level and requests "visual separation," meaning helium is trying to get retired of the flight's path, according to FlightRadar24 audio.

"PAT-25, bash you person the CRJ successful sight?" the controller tin beryllium heard saying to the chopper aviator 30 seconds earlier the crash.

The controller makes different vigor telephone to PAT-25 moments later: "PAT-25, walk down the CRJ."

ATC AUDIO REVEALS MOMENT CONTROLLERS SAW DISASTER:

8:48 p.m. EST

Army UH-60 and Flight 5342 past collide implicit the Potomac River, causing an detonation midair astatine an altitude of astir 300 feet that was caught connected camera.

Air postulation controllers tin beryllium heard reacting, and asking, "Did you spot that?"

8:53 p.m. EST

The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) receives telephone calls reporting a level clang implicit the Potomac. 

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

MPD, D.C. Fire and EMS, and "multiple spouse agencies" statesman coordinating a hunt and rescue operation.

Emergency vehicles signifier astatine Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday night, Jan. 29, 2025, successful Arlington, Va. The U.S. Capitol is seen crossed the Potomac River successful Washington.  (Kevin Wolf/AP)

9:00 p.m. EST

DCA closes owed to an "aircraft emergency."

9:09 p.m. EST

The D.C. Fire and EMS Department posts an update connected X stating, "Confirmed tiny craft down successful Potomac River vicinity Reagan National Airport. Fireboats connected scene."

Rescue workers respond to the country connected the Potomac River adjacent Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, successful Arlington, Va.  (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

10:51 p.m. EST

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posts a connection from President Donald Trump to X.

"I person been afloat briefed connected the unspeakable mishap which conscionable took spot astatine Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the unthinkable enactment being done by our archetypal responders. I americium monitoring the concern and volition supply much details arsenic they arise," the connection reads.

(EDITORS NOTE: Image contains graphic content) Emergency effect teams including Washington, DC Fire and EMS, DC Police and others, measure airplane wreckage successful the Potomac River adjacent Ronald Reagan Washington Airport connected January 30, 2025 successful Arlington, Virginia.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty)

12:30 a.m. EST

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser holds a property league with different instrumentality enforcement unit and announces that a rider craft collided with a subject aircraft.

DC Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly announces that officials "have recovered 27 radical from the level and 1 from the helicopter."

Law enforcement proceed their probe into the American Airlines level that crashed into the Potomac River arsenic it was attempting to onshore astatine the Reagan National Airport connected January 30, 2025 successful Washington, DC. The American Airlines formation from Wichita, Kansas collided successful midair with a subject chopper portion approaching the airport. According to reports, determination were nary survivors amongst the 67 radical connected committee some aircraft.  (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

"Despite each these efforts, we are present astatine a constituent wherever we are switching from a rescue cognition to a betterment operation," Donnelly says.

Jan. 30

8:30 a.m. EST

Officials clasp a property league successful Washington, D.C., saying each 67 passengers, unit members and soldiers onboard some craft are presumed dead.

"We are present astatine the constituent wherever we are switching from a rescue cognition to a betterment operation," Donnelly says during the briefing. "We don’t judge determination are immoderate survivors."

11:00 a.m. EST

Flights resume landing astatine DCA; the archetypal craft lands astatine the airdrome astatine 11:02 a.m.

A Department of Homeland Security root told Fox News Digital connected Thursday greeting that determination are "no panic concerns" aft the collision, and officials fishy the clang was "just a tragedy."

Prior to the deadly collision, determination had been a subject aircraft-involved clang successful Alaska connected Tuesday. Officials said a U.S. Air Force F-35 combatant pitchy crashed successful Alaska aft the aviator managed to safely eject from the aircraft.

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There person been astatine slightest 238 deaths and 227 injuries stemming from non-combat U.S. subject craft crashes since 2012, according to the FAA.

There person besides been aggregate "close call" incidents astatine DCA since 2023.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.