DC Plane Crash Timeline: 'I Need You To Land Immediately,' Air Traffic Controller Said

Updated at 2:15 p.m.

ARLINGTON, VA — Dozens are feared dead after an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter midair on Wednesday night near Reagan Washington National Airport. All 64 people on the plane, plus the three soldiers on the Blackhawk are presumed dead. So far, authorities have recovered 28 bodies from the crash scene.

Here's what we know so far about the the timeline of the crash:

6:18 p.m. American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, departs from Wichita with 60 passengers and four crew members. In audio released after the crash, air traffic controllers can be heard asking the helicopter if it has the commercial jet in sight. Seconds later, the air traffic controller directs the aircraft to "go around" before directing it to "return to base" then: "Black Jack Three, proceed directly, I need you to land. I need you to land immediately." Listen to the audio here.

8:47 p.m. The plane and the Army UH-60 helicopter collided, according to publicly available flight-tracking data.

8:48 p.m.: The FAA alerted of an aircraft incident, the New York Times reported. Rescue, police and fire crews from Maryland and Virginia, along with Washington’s police, fire and airport authorities, head to the scene.

8:58 p.m.: The first emergency units arrive at the scene to find aircraft wreckage in the Potomac River. They begin rescue operations immediately, according to John A. Donnelly, the city’s fire chief, speaking at a news conference.

9:09 p.m.: Emergency authorities in D.C. confirm in a post on X that a small aircraft is down in the river near Reagan Airport.

10 p.m.: American Airlines confirms that Flight 5342 was in an accident. Soon afterward, the F.A.A. says a CRJ700 jet collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while approaching Reagan Airport’s Runway 33.

12:06 a.m. Thursday: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Army and defense department are investigating the crash.

12:53 a.m.: Boats and divers are searching the area around the wreckage, Washington, D.C., officials say at a news conference. There is no official count of casualties, but 300 responders were involved in search and rescue efforts. The cold water, wind and murky conditions complicated search operations, they said.

4:05 a.m.: The U.S. Coast Guard declared rescue operations were ending and the mission had switched to a recovery of bodies.

7:30 a.m.: Local and federal officials hold a news conference at Reagan Airport, where they say no survivors are expected from the crash. Efforts are switching from rescue to recovery, they say, adding that 28 bodies have been recovered to this point.

Related: Reagan Airport Plane Crash Updates: No Survivors Expected

More On The Flight, Circumstances

Flight 5342 was arriving from Wichita, Kansas, where the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held. Sixty passengers and four crew members were on board the plane, including Russian and American figure skaters, reports say.

A few minutes before the jet was to land, air traffic controllers asked Flight 5342 if it could land on a shorter runway, and the pilots agreed. Controllers cleared the jet to land and flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.

The Skating Club of Boston on Wednesday identified six of its members who were on board Flight 5342, returning from U.S. Figure Skating's National Development Camp. CEO and Executive Director Doug Zeghibe said 18 athletes were sent to compete at the championships and 12 athletes were sent to the camp.

Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyan said Inna Volanskaya, a coach at the Ashburn Ice House, is among the 67 victims who authorities believe are dead in the plane crash.

According to the online tracker FlightAware, Flight 5342 departed at 5:22 p.m. CST and was set to arrive around 9 p.m. EST in Washington, D.C.

The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the Potomac.

The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water, officials said. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found.

There are no survivors expected, Donnelly said Thursday morning.

More on the crash can be found here.

The Associated Press contributed reporting and writing.