Details are beginning to trickle in as we learn more about the horrific air disaster that saw a commercial plane collide with a helicopter.

Authorities fear that more than 60 people have died after an American Airlines plane crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter over Washington DC on January 29.

The incident occurred while Flight 5342 was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, which has halted all take-offs and landings as law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors.

The crash resulted in a large search and rescue effort with authorities searching the Potomac River for bodies, as both aircrafts landed in the body of water after the crash.

28 bodies have been recovered from the river so far, however this number is expected to rise.

Rescue efforts have continued into today since the crash occurred (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

One of the people confirmed to have been on the flight was 26-year-old Spencer Lane, who was a member of the US figure skating team.

Ahead of the collision, and before taking off from Wichita Airport in Kansas, he made a post to social media that has proven to be particularly haunting.

He uploaded an image around 7pm ET on Wednesday of the wing of the doomed aircraft from his seat by the window. He captioned it ICT -> DCA the codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Other elite members of the American figure skating team are also believed to have been onboard the plane. They were also expected to compete at the next winter Olympics.

Spencer Lane’s final post before the American Airlines plane crash(Spencer Lane)

They were returning home to the DC area after attending a National Development Camp for young skaters in Wichita, Kansas.

Today (January 30) authorities gave a grim update on the incident.

During a news conference, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said: “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.”

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has said that the plane is in three parts and that the search will continue today for the sake of the American people.

Duffy also said that both aircrafts were on ‘standard flightpaths’ before the collision and that it’s ‘not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at DCA’.

Everything we know so far about the American Airlines plane crash

What caused the American Airlines crash?

This is still to be determined, with the black boxes from both the helicopter and plane vital to establishing what was going on in the build up to the fatal collision.

All we know at this stage is that the passenger plane and military helicopter collided as the plane was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport’s Runaway 33 to land.

What has American Airlines said about the crash?

The CEO of American Airlines, Robert Isom, issued a response to the incident as he explained he was travelling to DC with a specialist team to aid the investigation.

In a statement, the businessman said: “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.

“I know that there are many questions. At this early stage, I’ll not be able to answer all of them, but I do want to share the information I have at this time.”

What has Donald Trump said about the American Airlines crash?

President Trump described the incident as a ‘bad situation’ that ‘should have been prevented’.

“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“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!!! What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!”

Details are beginning to trickle in as we learn more about the horrific air disaster that saw a commercial plane collide with a helicopter.

Authorities fear that more than 60 people have died after an American Airlines plane crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter over Washington DC on January 29.

The incident occurred while Flight 5342 was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, which has halted all take-offs and landings as law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors.

The crash resulted in a large search and rescue effort with authorities searching the Potomac River for bodies, as both aircrafts landed in the body of water after the crash.

28 bodies have been recovered from the river so far, however this number is expected to rise.

Rescue efforts have continued into today since the crash occurred (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

One of the people confirmed to have been on the flight was 26-year-old Spencer Lane, who was a member of the US figure skating team.

Ahead of the collision, and before taking off from Wichita Airport in Kansas, he made a post to social media that has proven to be particularly haunting.

He uploaded an image around 7pm ET on Wednesday of the wing of the doomed aircraft from his seat by the window. He captioned it ICT -> DCA the codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Other elite members of the American figure skating team are also believed to have been onboard the plane. They were also expected to compete at the next winter Olympics.

Spencer Lane’s final post before the American Airlines plane crash(Spencer Lane)

They were returning home to the DC area after attending a National Development Camp for young skaters in Wichita, Kansas.

Today (January 30) authorities gave a grim update on the incident.

During a news conference, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said: “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.”

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has said that the plane is in three parts and that the search will continue today for the sake of the American people.

Duffy also said that both aircrafts were on ‘standard flightpaths’ before the collision and that it’s ‘not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at DCA’.

Everything we know so far about the American Airlines plane crash

What caused the American Airlines crash?

This is still to be determined, with the black boxes from both the helicopter and plane vital to establishing what was going on in the build up to the fatal collision.

All we know at this stage is that the passenger plane and military helicopter collided as the plane was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport’s Runaway 33 to land.

What has American Airlines said about the crash?

The CEO of American Airlines, Robert Isom, issued a response to the incident as he explained he was travelling to DC with a specialist team to aid the investigation.

In a statement, the businessman said: “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.

“I know that there are many questions. At this early stage, I’ll not be able to answer all of them, but I do want to share the information I have at this time.”

What has Donald Trump said about the American Airlines crash?

President Trump described the incident as a ‘bad situation’ that ‘should have been prevented’.

“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“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!!! What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!”

A married couple who were world champion figure skaters have been confirmed as passengers on board the American Airlines flight that fatally collided with a helicopter last night.

The American Airlines Flight 5342 had departed Wichita, Kansas, and was expecting to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided mid-air with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter at around 9pm on Wednesday (January 29).

The airplane was reportedly carrying 60 travellers and four crew members, while three were onboard the helicopter, when the aircrafts collided some 300 feet above the Potomac River.

The aircrafts fell into the Potomac River (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The water is still being extensively searched by emergency services who have confirmed today it expects to find no survivors in what is shaping up to be the deadliest US air disaster in more than 20 years.

Now, married world champion figure skaters and coaches of the sport, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, have been confirmed as passengers on the plane, according to local news reports in Russia.

The pair had won the world championships in figure skating together three decades ago in 1994 and had reportedly been living in the US since at least 1998, reports The Mirror.

Maxim and his parents (@maxim.naumov_/Instagram)

Russia’s TASS and RIA news agencies also report it is feared their son, Maxim, was also on board the plane along with more than dozen other Russian figure skaters.

Maxim and other skaters had competed in the US figure skating championships in Wichita just days ago.

Inna Volyanskaya, who had competed for the Soviet Union and coached the Washington figure skating club, is also believed to have been on board.

Russian pairs figure skaters Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova at the World Figure Skating Championships in Edmonton, 1996 (Jeff HAYNES / AFP) (Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)

Another skater, Spencer Lane, also uploaded a photograph of the plane’s wing before its takeoff in Wichita with the caption: “ICT TO DCA,” referencing the codes for Wichita and Reagan airports, The New York Post reports.

The US Figure Skating has since issued a statement via the Olympics website, confirming skaters were on board the flight.

The statement reads: “Several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C. These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.”

The family posted this snap of Maxim at the event just two days ago (Instagram/@team.genia.vadim)

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” it continues. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”

Another statement by The International Skating Union (ISU) released on Twitter reads in part: “We are heartbroken to learn that Figure Skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board.

“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.”

Spencer Lane uploaded this image of the jet on the runaway in Wichita (Instagram/@spencerskates26)

CBS News reports the plane has split into multiple pieces and is currently eight feet deep in the river.

District of Columbia fire chief, John Donnelly, also said in a sombre press conference today (Thursday, January 30) that 28 bodies have been found to date and have switched their rescue mission to a recovery operation.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email info@grievewell.com.

Donald Trump has just dropped a bombshell offer to millions of people working for the government.

It’s been a little more than a week since Trump became the 47th president of the United States after his inauguration on January 20, and he’s wasted no time in dramatically overhauling some of the work of his predecessor, Joe Biden.

To name just a handful of recent proposals flying out of the White House under his orders, he declared a ‘national emergency’ over immigration, threatened Colombia with tariff sanctions, floated exile as punishment for repeat US convicts, proposed changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as the Paris Climate Agreement.

The president has offered two million workers a ‘deal’ (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

That, and he’s pardoned some rather controversial figures, such as dark web Silk Road founder, Ross Ulbricht, who walked free from prison after 11 years, and fired the Justice Department lawyers who had been working on criminal cases against him.

However, he appears to be toeing a tough line over employment in general.

Trump scrapped government diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) programs by revoking the Executive Order 11246, while putting Department of Labor employees in charge of the initiatives on paid leave.

Now, around two million federal workers from various departments have been coaxed out of leaving Washington D.C. – or from working from home – after Trump offered them a buyout in a supposed crackdown on home-working practices, reports CBS News.

An estimated six percent of the federal workforce work full-time in the office, the Trump administration says.

The Trump administration anticipates the cutback will make a hefty $100 billion saving (Getty Images)

However, it’s not just the homeworkers, as two million government staff received an email on Tuesday (January 28) offering them a ‘deferred resignation programme’ which would allow them to claim eight months of their salary – providing they accept the offer by the deadline, February 6.

The proposal means the workers can decide now that they will resign in the fall, during which they will receive pay and benefits up until September 30.

The email, which has been seen by CBS, states: “If you resign under this program, you will retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 (or earlier if you choose to accelerate your resignation for any reason)”.

The Trump administration hopes the move will save the government a hefty sum.

It seems the president is wanting to crack down on work-from-home policies (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

If just 200,000 of the employees accept the offer, as the government is anticipating, officials believe it will save around $100 billion.

However, not all employees received the offer, including serving military personnel, immigration staff, postal workers and others in national security roles.

Meanwhile, those who refuse the offer have reportedly not been promised any job security or benefits of staying on board. The outlet added that the email was delivered with a simple one-word subject line: “Resign”.

The news comes as Trump is apparently on a cost-cutting mission with more positions said to be vulnerable to further downsizing.