As jets continue to take off and land at Reagan National Airport, just a short distance away, divers comb the icy waters of the Potomac River, searching for victims of the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. since 2009.
The catastrophic midair collision between an American Eagle regional jet and a Black Hawk military helicopter claimed 67 lives. Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, erupted into a fireball, killing all 60 passengers, four crew members, and three soldiers aboard the helicopter.
A City in Shock, a Search in Treacherous Waters
The recovery operation has been described as both dangerous and emotionally harrowing. Following last week’s cold snap, the Potomac’s waters are a near-freezing 35°F (2°C). Divers face treacherous currents and near-zero visibility as they navigate the jagged wreckage of the Bombardier CRJ700 jet. Inside, among the twisted metal, lie the remains of passengers—including children.
From the airport terminal, the recovery boats are clearly visible. Chris Evans, a 38-year-old pharmaceutical representative waiting to board a flight to Orlando, Florida, watches in disbelief.
“It’s just awful,” he says. He recounts how a friend nearly booked the doomed flight but chose a different airline at the last minute, arriving in D.C. just before the crash. “He told me about it, shaken up, saying he now has a whole new perspective on what really matters,” Evans says. Then, he pauses, uneasy. “Honestly, it feels strange to be getting on a plane right now.”
Speculation and Political Firestorm
The search for answers has ignited wild speculation—fueling even the highest levels of government. President Donald Trump, 78, wasted no time wading into the controversy, blaming diversity hiring programs for air traffic controllers under his predecessor as a possible cause of the disaster. His comments drew sharp criticism for politicizing the tragedy.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that, on the night of the crash, a single air traffic controller was handling duties normally assigned to two staff members. The U.S. aviation industry has faced chronic shortages since the COVID-19 pandemic, with controllers often working grueling 10-hour shifts six days a week.
Heartbreaking Recovery Effort Continues
The bodies recovered from the Potomac are being transported to a temporary morgue at a D.C. Fire Department helicopter landing zone. Behind makeshift barriers, emergency workers carry black body bags into red tents, where identification procedures are underway. More than half of the victims were recovered within the first 24 hours after the fiery collision.
Figure Skating Community Devastated
The skating world has been hit particularly hard. Among the victims were former world champion pair skaters Evgenia Shishkova (†52) and Vadim Naumov (†55), along with several athletes and coaches—many of them teenagers and children. They had just attended a National Development Team training camp for up-and-coming skating talents.
At an ice rink in Ashburn, Virginia, a makeshift memorial has taken shape. Dozens of floral arrangements now line the entrance, alongside a pink “I love you” balloon. Inside, skaters continue their training, while grieving families and friends embrace, sobbing together. The exact number of victims from this tight-knit community remains unclear.
“It’s more than a few,” says a woman placing a bouquet at the memorial. Her adult daughter, now a coach, had already learned of a colleague’s death. “She’s devastated—just like everyone here.”
