LIVE UPDATES | Many feared dead in Washington after plane, helicopter collide

Reagan airport is directly across from iconic city centre

Two ever-present elements of Washington local life collided to produce this disaster: a military helicopter and an airplane above the downtown sky.

Reagan airport is just outside the city centre — the Potomac River is literally the only thing separating it from the National Mall and the monuments to Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Franklin Roosevelt that surround the White House and Capitol. It makes for an easier commute into the city than the region’s other airports.

Planes rising and descending above the downtown are a constant fact of life. Stand at the Lincoln Memorial for just a few minutes and you’ll see a plane on that trajectory right above you.

Another constant of local life: the presence of military helicopters. They're often buzzing overhead, carrying key government figures, including the president and vice-president. It leaves local residents frequently wondering who might be swooping above them when their house windows start rattling from the pulses of the rotor blades. It’s a bustling airspace, compounded by the presence of several nearby military installations and the Pentagon.

In the immediate aftermath of the crash, locals wondered whether a government official might have been aboard the helicopter, but it appears not to have been the case. The helicopter was reportedly on a training mission carrying three people, but no political passengers.

Figure skating world rattled by tragedy

The world of figure skating was bracing for tragic news, as the plane was believed to be carrying skaters returning from a development camp following the U.S. championships in Wichita, Kan.

Some U.S. media reported receiving a statement from U.S. Figure Skating confirming that several members of the skating community were aboard: athletes, coaches and family members. The reported statement said the association was “devastated by this unspeakable tragedy.”

Ethan Peal, a national team ice dancer who competed in Wichita, tweeted early Thursday morning: “Dear God I can’t take this. Hug your loved ones. I’m sorry ♥️”

Russia’s TASS news agency reported that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian nationals had died in the crash. Citing the Kremlin and state media, Reuters reported that the deceased included 1994 world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, a husband-and-wife team who were long retired and working in the U.S. as coaches.

What it was like inside the airport

Inside the eerily silent airport, all the arrival and departure boards had been reset to an urgent message: “Due to an emergency situation, all flights are being held on the airfield.”

A voice on the loudspeaker informed the few people in the building that they could be transported by bus to another metro station. A few bewildered travellers searched for taxis outside.

In broken English, one stranded passenger sought guidance from the information desk near the airport entrance. The airport agent informed him it was unclear when normal activity would resume. This was just after midnight, hours after the crash.

“Do you have friends here [in Washington]?” the agent replied. “If you have a ticket for tomorrow, you’re certainly welcome to stay here.”

Lest anyone attempt to check in for a flight, the computers at the American Airlines desk carried the message: “Bag drop is closed.”

Some people slept in chairs overlooking the tarmac, with its ominous glow of red blinking lights, the Washington Monument towering in the backdrop.

Air traffic control recordings appear to capture the final attempted communications

The helicopter had the call sign PAT25 and the passenger plane was described as CRJ.

"PAT25, you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ," an air traffic controller says at 8:47 p.m. local time, according to a recording on liveatc.net.

Seconds later, another aircraft calls in to air traffic control after apparently seeing the crash: "Tower, did you see that?"

Air traffic control then tells other planes bound for Runway 33 to go around. At least one pilot was asked whether they had any search lights on board that could help a rescue crew.

Trump calls helicopter movement inexplicable

U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to ascribe blame as details were still just starting to emerge.

Posting on Truth Social, he said his understanding was that the plane was “on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport.”

He added: “The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”

Officials haven’t confirmed fatalities

Despite no official death toll, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall suggested most if not all of those on board the passenger plane had been killed.

"It's really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously," he said during a news conference at Reagan airport early on Thursday.

"When one person dies, it's a tragedy. But when many, many, many people die, it's an unbearable sorrow. It's a heartbreak beyond measure."

Hundreds involved in rescue effort

The rescue effort was visible well over a kilometre away. Imagine a river of red blinking lights, a trail of lights that went on and on. Hundreds of emergency crews were involved and their vehicles lit up an otherwise ink-black sky on a moonless night.

Divers were scouring the wreckage of the plane and helicopter. But their attempts to find any survivors were hindered by the darkness and cold of the Potomac River.

A fireball in the sky, in view of the Washington Monument

This may be the first fatal U.S. domestic commercial crash in 15 years, and it produced a barely believable scene. A fireball erupted in the sky in view of the Washington Monument, a catastrophe across the river from some of the most iconic buildings in the country.

By the time I got there, there was an eerie calm inside the airport — and chaos outside it.

Washington’s mayor is providing an update this morning

The Potomac River was freezing when the jet and helicopter plunged into the water