No Canadians are believed to have been on board the American Airlines plane that crashed into a military helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va.
Dozens have died, however, with “no survivors,” according to U.S. President Donald Trump, who called it a “real tragedy.”
Global Affairs Canada told Global News on Thursday that it is “not aware of any Canadians onboard” American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C.
“Global Affairs Canada extends deepest sympathies to all those affected by the plane and helicopter crash in Washington D.C.,” the department said.
“Officials are in touch with local authorities and continue to gather more information.”
View of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following a deadly crash, Thursday Jan. 30, 2025.
Ashleigh Stewart/Global News
At least 28 bodies were recovered from the Potomac River following the collision Wednesday night.
A search-and-recovery operation is underway to find the remaining 39 passengers and soldiers who remain unaccounted for.
“Sadly, there are no survivors,” Trump said during a news conference Thursday morning.
“This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history, and a tragedy of terrible proportions.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said it was a “very sad” and “tragic” event that led to the loss of life.
“This morning, we all share in a profound sense of grief,” Bower said at a Thursday news conference.
Search and rescue efforts are seen around a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport early Thursday morning, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Va.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
What happened?
American Airlines Flight 5342 was en route from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night. There were 60 passengers onboard and four crew members.
The CRJ700 Bombardier-made regional jet was midair and on its final approach for landing at the busiest commercial runway in the U.S. when it crashed into a U.S. army Black Hawk helicopter that was on a “training mission.”
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Bombardier, a Canadian aviation firm, sold its regional jet program and the associated maintenance facilities to Mitsubishi Aerospace in 2019.
Roughly one minute before the crash, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National and the pilots said they were able, according to audio recordings from the pilots and air traffic controllers.
Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight tracking sites showed the plane adjusting its approach to the new runway.
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the Black Hawk helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.”
Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet (732 metres) short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river.
Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.
What caused the crash?
Officials are still investigating what exactly caused the collision.
U.S. Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy said it was a “clear night” and both the plane and helicopter were in a standard pattern.
“This was not unusual with military aircraft flying the river and the aircraft landing at DCA,” Duffy told reporters.
“But obviously, it is not standard to have aircraft collide,” Duffy said, adding that “something went wrong here.”
When asked by a reporter if the plane was aware there was a helicopter in the area, Duffy paused and said: “I would say the helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area.”
He said as the investigation moves forward, more details will be provided.
Search and rescue efforts are seen around a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, early Thursday morning, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Va.
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
“We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas,” Trump said.
He said the helicopter and plane shouldn’t have been flying at the same height at the same time and “somebody should have been able to point that.”
“So you had a confluence of bad decisions that were made and you have people that lost their lives, violently lost their lives.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is also assisting with the probe. The department told Global News that two accredited representatives have been appointed to participate in the investigation.
It is normal for the country of manufacture to have representatives in the investigation, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations for all civil aircraft operations, and this plane as a Bombardier model was Canadian-manufactured.
Who was onboard?
The American Airlines plane had a total of 64 people on board.
Among them was a group of U.S. and Russian figure skaters, their coaches and family members who were returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.
Two of those coaches were identified by the Kremlin as Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 world championships and competed twice in the Olympics.
Heavy police presence at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following a deadly crash, Thursday Jan. 30, 2025.
Ashleigh Stewart/Global News
The Skating Club of Boston lists them as coaches and their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skater for the U.S.
Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, along with their mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han, were also on board the flight, the Skating Club of Boston said.
Skate Canada told Global News in an email that it is not “currently aware of any Canadians who were on the flight.”
“Skate Canada is deeply saddened by reports of a tragic American Airlines plane crash involving members of the figure skating community,” it said in a statement on its website.
“While details are still emerging, our hearts are with U.S. Figure Skating, as well as the athletes, coaches, and families affected by this devastating incident.
–with files from Global News’ Ashleigh Stewart and The Associated Press