D.C. plane crash efforts pivot from rescue to recovery, fire chief says

NPR | By Joel Rose,

Russell Lewis, Ayana Archie

Published January 29, 2025 at 9:09 PM CST

Emergency response units access airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport early Thursday in Arlington, Va., after an American Airlines flight from Kansas collided with a helicopter while approaching the airport.

Officials say 28 bodies have been recovered so far after a regional passenger jet carrying 64 people collided in midair with a Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night. The plane was approaching a runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

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Joel Rose

Joel Rose is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk. As the network’s transportation correspondent since 2023, Rose’s reporting focuses on roadway and pedestrian safety, an air travel system under stress and how emerging technologies are changing the ways we get around.

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Russell Lewis

Russell Lewis is a Deputy National Editor on NPR's National Desk.

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Ayana Archie