Donald Trump confirms ‘there are no survivors’ in devastating Washington DC plane crash | LIVE updates

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Donald Trump seemingly blamed FAA's “diversity push” for the horrific collision. “The FAA’s diversity push includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities. That is amazing,” the president told reporters on Thursday, per CNN.

“FAA says people with severe disabilities are most underrepresented segment of the workforce said ‘they want them in, and they want them, they can be air traffic controllers. I don’t think so. This was January 14, so that was a week before I entered office. They put a big push to put diversity into the FAA’s program,” Trump added.

When asked why he thought “diversity push” was to blame for the accident that is believed to have claimed the lives of all 67 people on board the American Airlines jet and the Black Hawk chopper, Trump said, “It just could have been. We have a high standard. We’ve had a higher, much higher standard than anybody else.”

Trump did not cite any evidence for his claim. As reporters pressed him on the topic again, the president said, “Because I have common sense, OK, and unfortunately, a lot of people don’t.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said during the White House press briefing on Thursday that a “mistake was made” in the lead-up to the horrific collision that is believed to have claimed the lives of all 67 people aboard the American Airlines jet and the Black Hawk helicopter.

While Hegseth did place the blame on anyone, he said, “The military does dangerous things. It does routine things on a regular basis. Tragically, last night, a mistake was made,” reported CNN.

The secretary explained that the chopper was carrying three soldiers who were on a “routine annual training of night flights on a standard corridor for a continuity of government mission.”

“There was some … sort of an elevation issue that we have immediately begun investigating at the DOD and Army level,” Hegseth said, adding, “No excuses. We’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Donald Trump blamed former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for “horrible” aviation policies. During Thursday's White House press briefing, the president said, “We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system.” “I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary.”

“When I arrived in 2016, I made that change very early on, because I always felt this was a job that, and other jobs too, but this was a job that had to be superior intelligence, and we didn’t really have that. And we had it,” Trump went on, per CNN. “And then when I left office and Biden took over, he changed them back to lower than ever before.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: During the White House press briefing on Thursday, Donald Trump appointed an acting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commissioner.

“I'm immediately appointing an acting commissioner to the FAA, Christopher Rocheleau, a 22-year veteran of the agency, highly respected,” the president said, adding, “We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Donald Trump began his address at the White House Thursday with a “moment of silence” for the victims of the devastating accident, in which all 67 involved are feared dead. “I'd like to request a moment of silence for the victims and their families,” the president said, adding, “I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for our nation,” per Fox News.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Melania Trump issued an emotional statement, expressing her condolences to the families of those who died in the horrific mid-air collision of the American Airlines regional jet and army Black Hawk chopper.

“My heart goes out to those impacted by last night’s terrible tragedy. I pray for those who so sadly lost their lives, their families & loved ones, & the first responders who have worked tirelessly through the night. May they find strength and solace in this difficult time,” the first lady wrote on X.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called Wednesday's mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter a “horrible loss of life.”

“At about 8:48 last night, a UH60, assigned to the U.S. Army Aviation Brigade in the military district of Washington, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, collided tragically with a civilian airliner,” Hegseth said in a video shared on X by the Department of Defence.

While he denied naming the three soldiers aboard the chopper, Hegseth revealed, “The Army unit involved was with Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir. It was an annual proficiency training flight.”

“We do know on our side who was involved. It was a fairly experienced crew and that was doing a required annual night evaluation. They did have night vision goggles,” he shared.

“It's a tragedy, a horrible loss of life for those 64 souls on that civilian airliner. And, of course, the three soldiers in that Black Hawk. They're in our prayers, their families and their communities as people are notified. I can't imagine and I know it's it's gone from a rescue mission to a recovery mission,” Hegseth added.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Donald Trump will address the horrific American Airlines jet-Army Black Hawk helicopter collision at 11:00 am ET on Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, per Fox News. The president will discuss the disaster in the White House briefing room.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told CBS Mornings that the deadly American Airlines jet-military helicopter collision has raised a “lot of questions.” “You can't tell a lot from video footage taken at night, but the footage raises a lot of questions about how this happened,” he said after a press conference with officials in Washington.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Wichita Mayor Lily Wu was tearful as she took to the podium during a press conference on Thursday. She expressed grief over the deaths of those onboard the American Airlines jet that collided with a military helicopter. “At this time our community needs to come together to support the family members that have been impacted,” she said, as reported by BBC.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: During a press conference on Thursday, Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy said that the Black Hawk helicopter was “aware” that another aircraft was close by. “The helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area,” he said, according to BBC.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy stated on Thursday morning that the midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night was “preventable.”

“We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but … what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” Duffy said.

The secretary echoed President Donald Trump's sentiment posted on social media Wednesday, asserting that the collision “should have been prevented.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly stated that there are no survivors anticipated from the midair collision over the Potomac River, and that rescuers have shifted to a recovery operation.

“We are now at a point where we’re switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” he said during a Thursday morning news conference.

Officials are confident that they will recover the bodies of all those who perished in the collision on Wednesday night involving an American Airlines passenger jet and a military helicopter.

Sixty-seven people are presumed dead: 64 passengers from the jet and three individuals aboard the US Army Black Hawk helicopter. By Thursday morning, 28 bodies had already been recovered, he reported.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Fire chief cited that all individuals aboard the American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter have feared dead, per AP. Recovery efforts have so far led to the retrieval of the bodies of 27 passengers from the American Airlines jet and one individual from the helicopter.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: A responding officer stated that several dive teams have been deployed by various regional authorities. However, he noted that due to the hazardous conditions, they might have to delay entering the water until sunrise.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy clarified on Thursday morning that both the American Airlines jet and the military helicopter were flying in a “standard flight pattern” the previous night.

“Last night was clear, and the helicopter was following the standard pattern. If you're a DC local, you're no stranger to seeing helicopters moving along the river,” Duffy mentioned during the news conference. “This was a standard flight pattern last night as well.”

“The American Airlines flight approaching for landing was in a standard flight pattern as it neared DCA. It's not out of the ordinary for military aircraft to be flying over the river while other planes are landing at DCA,” he added.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: After the number of casualties in the devastating American Airlines jet's mid-air collision with an Army Black Hawk helicopter rose to 30, investigators are now focusing on why the military aircraft was “flying at that location and altitude at that moment,” a source told CBS News.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: As of 6:45 am ET, 30 bodies have been recovered from the site, where the American Airlines regional jet crashed into Potomac River after a mid-air collision with an Army Black Hawk helicopter, reported CBS News.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the country, has confirmed that several members of its skating community were onboard the ill-fated American Airlines jet that crashed into Potomac River after a mid-air collision with an Army Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night.

“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” the statement from US Figure Skating reads, according to BBC. “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: The Kremlin has expressed its condolences to the families of Russian citizens who lost their lives in the devastating American Airlines jet-Black Hawk helicopter collision.

It also confirmed that Russian-born ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jetliner that crashed in Washington DC on Wednesday night.

"There were other of our fellow citizens on board. It's bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send our condolences to families and friends," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to a Reuters report.

Russia's figure skating federation also expressed condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the deadly crash. However, it refused to provide any further comment.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: The International Skating Union (ISU) has expressed “shock” and grief over the tragic American Airlines jet-Black Hawk helicopter collision. The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jetliner was carrying 60 passengers, including several figure skaters from the US and Russia, and four crew members. 19 bodies have been recovered so far, reported CBS News. No survivors have been found yet.

“The International Skating Union (ISU) and the global skating community are deeply shocked by the tragic accident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C. last night. We are heartbroken to learn that Figure Skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” the union said in a statement shared on X.

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport—it’s a close-knit family—and we stand together. We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.”

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: A former Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot told BBC that military aircraft are expected to avoid civilian traffic. “I've flown as a military pilot in the US and I'm somewhat familiar with the airspace around Washington DC. It's highly congested but civilian and military traffic share one radio frequency,” George Bacon told the outlet.

Bacon explained that in contrast to civilian airliners, which are expected to follow fixed flight paths, military pilots have more freedom in navigation. “The military regulate themselves and pilots can choose to fly where they want and need to. In controlled airspace like this, they would still have freedom to take avoiding action, but they would be following the direction of the controller. The emphasis is that they must look - it's known as ‘see and avoid,’” he said.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: Two data recorders, AKA “black boxes”, have been recovered by a dive time from the American Airlines regional plane carrying 64 on board that crashed near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday, CBS News reported. Divers made the discovery as human remains and debris began washing up on the Virginia side of the Potomac River.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: As of 2:50 am ET, at least 19 bodies were recovered, a law enforcement source told CBS News. Search efforts continue in the Potomac River.

Washington DC plane crash LIVE updates: As of midnight local time, the official temperature at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was around 7C (44F), but it is expected to drop further to a low of -1C (30F) throughout the night, reports BBC.