On January 29th, 2025, a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle Jet collided in Washington, DC, at around 9 PM. This devastating crash made both vehicles plunge into the Potomac River, causing 67 deaths to the people aboard. This was America’s deadliest air disaster since 2001, which caused thousands of people to start investigating the details and causes.
The government immediately issued search warrants after the event, hoping to find survivors. However, they soon came to the ghastly realization that there were no survivors from the crash. More details about the collision slowly came to light. The plane had 60 passengers and 4 crew, with 3 soldiers in the helicopter. 55 of the 67 people involved in the crash were immediately identified. In the moments leading up to the crash, the Eagle Jet was descending for landing while the helicopter was on a test flight “as part of a readiness exercise in the event of a catastrophic attack on the capital,” says CBS News.
Not only were they searching for passengers, but the government hoped to rescue parts from the wreckage to recover more bodies. Authorities say fully recovering the plane would take several days with a 300-person crew. The crew was able to succeed and retrieve the cockpit and engine, which revealed the remains of the rest of the victims. Out of the 67 bodies, 66 of them were able to be identified.
More details about the passengers themselves were discovered due to this. Several elite skaters were coming back from a training session along with their parents and coaches. There were also friends returning from a hunting trip in Kansas, people traveling for business matters, and many other ordinary people who were just traveling for fun, who all unfortunately perished in this event.
US President Donald Trump spoke on the issue. He believes that diversity and inclusion programs are to blame. He states, “It doesn’t matter what they [the pilots] look like, how they speak, who they are… They have to be talented, naturally talented. Geniuses. Can’t have regular people doing their job. We can’t have regular people doing this job. They won’t be able to do it, but we’ll restore faith in American air travel.” Authorities are still investigating the true cause of the crash.
The deadliest air crash in 24 years caused extensive investigations and efforts to find out the issue and recover all people. Although the case is still in progress, people are proud of their work and hope to bring closure to the victims and their families.
