Traffic control footage of the devastating crash between an American Airlines plane with 60 passengers and four crew with a US army helicopter with three people on board shows the moments leading up to the deadly collision.

There are thought to be no survivors from the terrible crash, with the aircraft appearing to explode in mid-air when they collided.

In the footage the marker moving upwards is the American Airlines passenger plane with 64 people on board, and the marker moving down the screen is the US army helicopter that had three people on board.

You can see them moving closer and closer together until they collided and disaster strikes.

A few minutes before the plane was due to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC air traffic control staff asked if it could make the landing on a shorter runway and the pilots agreed.

Some bodies have been recovered from the tragic site of the crash. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The jet was given clearance to land, while controllers asked the helicopter if it could see the passenger plane and said ‘PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ’, an instruction for the helicopter to wait for the plane to pass by before continuing.

They received no reply and seconds later the two aircraft collided into each other in a devastating crash.

Wreckage of the aircraft was found in the Potomac River, with the plane found upside down and in three pieces by the recovery operation.

Officials said today (30 January) that they did not expect to find any of the 67 people involved with the crash alive, and that they were ‘switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation’.

At least 28 bodies have been found, 27 from the plane and one from the helicopter.

What started as potential rescue efforts has become recovery of the bodies. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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 to land.

Who was on board the American Airlines flight?

US Figure Skating, which is the American governing body for the sport, has announced that a number of athletes and coaches were on board the fateful flight.

In a statement, it said: “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.

“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.”

World champion figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the plane, according to Russian state media.

Figure skater Spencer Lane was among those who died, with his father Douglas calling him a ‘force of nature’ who was ‘loved by everyone’ in an interview with WPRI.

What has American Airlines said about the crash?

The CEO of American Airlines, Robert Isom, issued a response to the incident in Washington DC 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.”

Donald Trump’s response

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 his social media site 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!”

Trump called the crash an ‘hour of anguish’ for the US before going on a baseless tirade against diversity hiring efforts from his predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama, claiming that the Federal Aviation Administration was ‘actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative’.

Dispatcher audio of aftermath of American Airlines crash released

Air traffic control audio has since been released from the incident, detailing the harrowing moment dispatchers witness the crash.

“The accident happened in the river. Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river,” a man on the audio says.

“It was probably out in the middle of the river. Um, I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river.

“But it was a CR-J [the type of plane] and a helicopter that hit, I would say a half-mile of the approach.”

It has been reported that a pair of world champion figure skaters were involved in the tragic Washington DC plane crash last night.

An American Airlines flight collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter at about 9pm local time on 29 January near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with both crashing into the Potomac River.

The plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, while the chopper had three soldiers on board. Nineteen bodies have reportedly been recovered so far, the BBC reports, while rescuers continue to search in freezing temperatures.

As US Figure Skating confirmed several members of its skating community were on board the flight, state-run Russian news agency TASS named two former world champions as passengers.

The governing body for figure skating in the US confirmed that athletes, coaches and family members were on board as they returned from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

It added in a statement: “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.”

Ice skating coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov are said to have been among those skaters on board, according to Russian state media.

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov are said to be among those on board (Chris Cole/ALLSPORT)

It is also said their son, Maxim, who is also a skater, may have been on the flight as well with his name listed on the event’s site as a competitor. The married couple won the world championships in pairs figure skating back in 1994 and live in the US where they train young skaters.

TASS also said former skater for the Soviet Union, Inna Volyanskaya, was reportedly on board. She coaches at the Washington figure skating club.

Operating as American Airlines 5432, the PSA Airlines jet was set to touch down on Runway 33 at the airport when it collided with the military helicopter, a Sikorsky H-60.

Robert Isom, head of the American Airlines, said he was travelling to Washington DC with a special team to aid the investigation into the crash.

He said in a statement: “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.”

Emergency crews are searching the river (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The CEO added: “We are actively working with local, state and federal authorities on emergency response efforts, and the American Airlines care team has been activated to assist our passengers and their families.

“We’re cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation, and we’ll continue to provide all the information we can. Our cooperation is without pause, and we want to learn everything we can about today’s events.”

Isom expressed his ‘deep sorrow’ about the incident as he said the team ‘of highly trained professionals will be working around the clock to support our passengers, crew and their families’.

A new proposal could see Donald Trump serving as President of the United States until 2032.

On Monday (20 January) the 78-year-old became America’s 47th president after his first term ended back in 2021. He is only the second president to be elected in a non-consecutive term, alongside the 22nd and 24th president, Grover Cleveland.

Following Trump‘s inauguration, Tennessee congressman Andy Ogles filed a Joint Resolution, seeking a change to the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.

Currently, presidents are restricted to serving only two terms, but the change – if successful – would mean a president could be elected for a third consecutive term.

“No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once,” it reads.

Ogles has argued that Trump would need another term to carry out his goals.

Donald Trump is currently serving his second term as President of the United States (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

“President Trump’s decisive leadership stands in stark contrast to the chaos, suffering, and economic decline Americans have endured over the past four years,” he wrote in a statement.

“He has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal.

“To that end, I am proposing an amendment to the Constitution to revise the limitations imposed by the 22nd Amendment on presidential terms. This amendment would allow President Trump to serve three terms, ensuring that we can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.”

Since officially becoming president on Monday, Trump has already made some big changes in the US, signing off a number of executive orders and memorandums within 24 hours.

Trump has already signed off a number of executive orders (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

These include pardoning a staggering 1,500 people convicted, or facing conviction, for their roles in the US Capitol riots back in January 2021.

Trump has also ruled that there are now only two genders in the US – male and female, saying the move was to ‘defend women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth’.

The new president has also temporarily reversed the TikTok ban, after it went offline just a couple of days before he was sworn in.

The White House website states: “To fulfil those responsibilities, I intend to consult with my advisors, including the heads of relevant departments and agencies on the national security concerns posed by TikTok, and to pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans.

“My Administration must also review sensitive intelligence related to those concerns and evaluate the sufficiency of mitigation measures TikTok has taken to date.”

Donald Trump has won another term in the White House as America’s 47th President.

It will be the 78-year-old’s second term as a Republican – after first serving in 2017 – and he has promised ‘a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride’.

Due to the weather, Trump’s swearing-in today (20 January) has been moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda, which is the first time this has happened in 40 years.

The inauguration day is set to start at 5pm UK time, with the inaugural procession and parade beginning around 8pm UK time.

Trump has made various promises of what he plans to achieve during his second time in office, and here’s what he’s pledged to do so far.

What is Trump promising to change?

TikTok

Trump has said that he wants to ‘make a deal to protect our national security’ after a ban on TikTok was delayed on Sunday.

The businessman claimed he would sign an executive order on Inauguration Day.

Taking toTruth Social, a social media platform he owns, he said (via the BBC): “I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!

“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”

Donald Trump is set to be sworn is as America’s 47th President today (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Immigration

After he takes power, Trump claims he ‘will launch the largest deportation program in American history‘, promising to close the border to undocumented immigrants.

His controversial ‘Muslim travel ban’ is also back, banning people from several countries in the world which have a majority of Muslim people living there.

“We will seal our border and bring back the travel ban,” Trump previously said.

“Remember the famous travel ban? We didn’t take people from certain areas of the world. We’re not taking them from infested countries.”

The release of JFK, RFK and MLK assassination files

“As the first step toward restoring transparency and accountability to government, we will also reverse the over-classification of government documents,” Trump said at the Capital One Arena (via LBC).

“And in the coming days, we are going to make public remaining records relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, as well as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

Buying Greenland

Again on Truth Social, he has promised to buy Greenland, located between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean.

“Greenland is an incredible place,” he said, with it being an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

“The people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”

Trump tried to negotiate a deal in his last term, but the Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen called the whole thing ‘absurd’.

Trump will take charge for his second term (Thomas Hengge/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Women’s rights

Trump appointed the US Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the historic Roe v Wade judgement that resulted in 20 states bringing in strict abortion laws.

Having called these laws as a ‘beautiful thing to watch’, Trump has said he will not push for a direct federal abortion ban.

During the campaign, he said he will give all women free IVF treatment for those who are struggling to become parents.

Education

Last year, Trump said he wants to stop schools from receiving any funding that will go towards ‘critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content’.

He also said he will put an end to school rulings on vaccine or mask mandates.

Taxing on tips

Previously, Trump claimed that the ‘first thing in office’ he is will do is ending income tax on tipped income.

Trump on taxes, the economy, and environment

Trump says he will ‘end inflation’ without revealing how this could be achieved. He has hinted at opening up the US’s oil industry in a move he says could ‘make American affordable again’.

He also is set to halt offshore wind power farms, claiming they ‘kill whales and birds’.

Trump has previously described climate change as an ‘expensive hoax’ while committing to clean air and water for US citizens.

He said he will lower interest rates, despite the POTUS not setting them or controlling them. He says he will up taxes on imports while cutting taxes worth trillions of dollars, all while deporting undocumented immigrants.