Min-by-min rundown of DC jet disaster from ‘dangerous’ Blackhawk flight to horror audio & crash vid before river plunge

WHAT should person been a regular formation for American Airlines ended successful catastrophe erstwhile it collided with a chopper conscionable moments earlier landing.

Questions are present being asked implicit however the pitchy and chopped crashed mid-air earlier plunging into Washington DC's Potomac River.

Hopes of uncovering survivors rapidly fading - with each 64 connected committee the level and 3 connected the chopper believed to beryllium dead.

Horror footage showed the infinitesimal the twin-engine Bombardier CRJ700 jet collided with the US Army Black Hawk - with a agleam flash lighting up the sky.

Desperate rescue crews are present frantically searching for survivors successful the freezing water, with efforts being hampered by dark, acold conditions.

Officials person warned determination are "many, many, many" deaths arsenic authorities fig retired precisely what caused the tragedy.

This is the minute-by-minute breakdown of however the clang unfolded.

5.18pm, Jan 29 - The American Eagle Flight 5342 takes disconnected from Wichita, Kansas.

Several crystal skaters are connected board, having been astatine a contention successful the city.

USA Figure Skating aboriginal confirms athletes, coaches and relatives were travelling backmost home.

Among those connected committee are Russian champion fig skaters Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, pictured below.

8.39pm - A US Army UH-60 chopper takes disconnected from Fort Beaver, Virginia.

Three radical are connected committee arsenic portion of a grooming exercise.

Around 8.28pm - A pistillate connected committee the level texts her hubby to accidental the formation volition beryllium landing soon.

8.40pm - Flight 5342  starts approaching the Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Between 8.43pm and 8.47pm - Air postulation controllers inquire the arriving pitchy if it could onshore connected the shorter Runway 33.

Pilots accidental they are capable to.

8.47pm - An aerial postulation controller makes a last effort to pass with the helicopter, callsign PAT25, regarding the plane, callsign CRJ.

A controller says: "PAT25, bash you person a CRJ successful sight? PAT25, walk down the CRJ."

CCTV, shown below, captures a agleam flash successful the entity - the infinitesimal the level and chopper collide conscionable 400ft supra the ground.

The level was flying astatine astir 140mph erstwhile it crashed.

8.48pm - An alert is sounded aft the crash.

Between 8.48pm and 8.53pm - Controllers respond aft seeing the clang unfold.

One says: "Oh, ohio my god! Tower, did you spot that?"

"Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three."

Another tin beryllium heard saying: "I don't cognize if you caught earlier what happened, but determination was a collision connected the attack into 33.

"We're going to beryllium shutting down operations for the indefinite future."

A 3rd adds: "Both the chopper and the level crashed successful the river.

"It was astir apt retired successful the mediate of the river.

"I conscionable saw a fireball and past it was conscionable gone. I haven't seen thing since they deed the river. But it was a CRJ and a chopper that hit."

8.53pm - Police statesman receiving aggregate calls astir the incident.

8.58pm - The archetypal exigency crews get astatine the scene.

9.04pm - The archetypal hunt and rescue vessel leaves Capital Cove Marina.

9.11pm - The hunt vessel arrives astatine the scene. Emergency crews and constabulary divers are scouring the h2o for survivors.

Midnight - Passenger vessel National Elite joins the hunt, arsenic good arsenic occurrence and rescue boat

00.19am, Jan 30 - Donald Trump says the clang "should person been prevented" successful a station connected Truth Social.

He writes: "The airplane was connected a cleanable and regular enactment of attack to the airport.

"The chopper was going consecutive astatine the airplane for an extended play of time.

"It is simply a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights connected the level were blazing, wherefore didn’t the chopper spell up oregon down, oregon turn.

"Why didn’t the power operation archer the chopper what to bash alternatively of asking if they saw the plane.

"This is simply a atrocious concern that looks similar it should person been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!"

12.58am - Officials clasp a quality league and corroborate 300 responders are progressive with the operation.

Washington DC's politician Muriel Bowser says firefighters are moving "diligently" successful the cold.

The capital's exigency main John Donnelly added: "There is wind. There are pieces of crystal successful the water.

"And due to the fact that determination is not a batch of light, you are retired determination searching each quadrate inch of space.

"These are precise pugnacious conditions for [rescuers] to dive in."

Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas says: "When 1 idiosyncratic dies it's a tragedy, but erstwhile many, many, galore radical dice it's an unbearable sorrow."

Officials are incapable to springiness a decease toll.

3.47am - Law enforcement sources accidental up to 20 bodies person been pulled from the water.

Rescue crews proceed to enactment astatine the country arsenic the prima rises.

7.30am - Official clasp a property league successful terminal 1 astatine the airport.

Washington DC politician Muriel Bowser acknowledgment exigency crews who person worked tirelessly passim the night.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy says it was a wide nighttime and some craft were pursuing modular formation paths.

He says the fuselage of the level was recovered successful 3 antithetic parts inn waist-deep water.

These volition beryllium analysed arsenic portion of the investigation.

Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly confirms 27 bodies person been recovered from the plane, and 1 from the helicopter.

He says the rescue ngo has turned into a betterment operation, and determination are not thought to beryllium immoderate survivors.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom accidental they "don't cognize wherefore the subject craft came into the formation way of the American Airlines plane".

Authorities corroborate the airdrome volition reopen astatine 11am.