ARLINGTON, Va. (WDCW) – Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines, has pledged the airline’s cooperation with investigations into Wednesday night’s crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Officials had already confirmed that the PSA Airlines plane (PSA Airlines being a wholly owned subsidiary of AA) was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members when it collided with a military helicopter with three people on board.
The PSA Airlines flight had departed from Wichita, Kansas.
28 bodies recovered, no survivors expected in DC plane crash
Officials confirmed Thursday morning that there were no survivors, and recovery efforts were underway.
In the video statement, Isom shared his “deep sorrow” for those involved.
“This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines. Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders along with their families and loved ones,” said Isom.
Emergency response units assess airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Isom added that members of the airline’s care team will be traveling to D.C. “to assist our passengers and their families.”
“Anything we can do now we are doing and right now that means focusing on taking care of all passengers and crew involved as well as their families,” added Isom.
American Airlines set up a special helpline (1-800-679-8215) for friends and family members who believe their loved ones were aboard Flight 5342.
At a press conference on Thursday morning, officials confirmed that at least 28 bodies had been pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River, where the downed aircraft was located upside down, in three sections.
Crews were still searching for other casualties but did not believe there were any survivors, which would make it the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly 24 years.
“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” said John Donnelly, the fire chief, in the nation’s capital. “We don’t believe there are any survivors.”
Among those presumed to be dead are several figure skaters and coaches (and their family members) who were traveling home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Kansas, Nexstar’s WDCW reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov further confirmed that Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 World Championships and competed at the Winter Olympics twice, were passengers.
The crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board and the United States Army.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
