Authorities announced Tuesday that the remains of all 67 victims from last week’s midair collision between an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C., have been recovered. All but one have been identified.
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is analyzing new data that may place the helicopter above its designated 200-foot (61-meter) flight ceiling at the time of the crash. Radar readings from air traffic control indicated the helicopter was at 300 feet (91 meters), though officials noted that figure was rounded to the nearest 100 feet. Investigators aim to retrieve additional data from the submerged Black Hawk to verify its altitude.
The flight recorder from the American Airlines jet logged its altitude at 325 feet (99 meters), with a margin of error of plus or minus 25 feet (7.6 meters).
On Tuesday, crews retrieved large sections of the aircraft from the Potomac River, including the right wing, center fuselage, parts of the forward cabin, cockpit, tail cone, and rudder. Recovery teams, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Navy divers, and local emergency personnel, continue working to extract remaining wreckage.
“Our hearts are with the victims’ families as they navigate this tragic loss,” officials said in a joint statement. The chief medical examiner is working to confirm the final set of remains.
The collision occurred last Wednesday night as the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport. All 60 passengers and four crew members on board were killed, including several figure skaters returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
The Black Hawk helicopter, engaged in a training mission, carried three service members: Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland; and Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach of Durham, North Carolina.
On Monday, salvage crews recovered one of the aircraft’s two engines along with large portions of the jet’s exterior, according to Col. Francis B. Pera of the Army Corps of Engineers. Officials aim to retrieve the Black Hawk’s wreckage later this week.
Federal investigators are working to determine the sequence of events leading to the collision. While full NTSB investigations typically take over a year, an initial report is expected within 30 days.
The crash marks the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since Nov. 12, 2001, when an American Airlines jet crashed in a New York City neighborhood shortly after takeoff, killing 260 people on board and five on the ground.
