No-one survived the mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a US military helicopter over Washington DC plunging them both into the Potomac River, officials have confirmed.
All 64 people on board the Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft and three soldiers in the helicopter on a training mission flight were killed.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) aims to produce a preliminary report into the accident within 30 days.
Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the passenger jet, the NTSB said.
As speculation mounted into the cause of the crash, including intervention from president Donald Trump, an NTSB spokesperson said: “We will not be determining the probable cause of the accident while we are on the scene nor will we speculate about what may have caused this accident.”
The spokesperson, outlining the investigation into the collision, said it would “bring us to a conclusion of probable cause” but its mission “is to understand not just what happened but why it happened and to recommend changes to prevent it happening again”.
Washington DC’s Reagan National airport reopened at 11am Thursday morning local time with a warning of flight delays and cancellations after the death toll from the collision was confirmed by new US defence secretary Pete Hegseth.
The Federal Aviation Administration said: “FAA investigators are supporting the NTSB-led investigation of Wednesday night’s midair collision near Reagan Washington National airport.
“The NTSB is leading the investigation and will provide all updates. We cannot comment on any aspect of open investigations. The FAA will quickly take any actions necessary based on evidence from the investigation.”
The Foreign Office updated its travel advice with a caution about disruption to air travel to the US capital amid crash recovery efforts.
American Airlines chief executive Robert Isom said in a second video message since the crash: “Nothing is more important than safety in our business, it’s a responsibility that every American Airlines’ team member and aviation professional takes very seriously.
“American has thousands of flights in the air today and more than ever the professionalism that distinguishes our team on the ground and in the air is on display.”
The regional jet from Wichita, Kansas was on approach to the airport at around 9pm local time on Wednesday when the mid-air collision with the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter occurred.