No one is believed to have survived after a plane and helicopter crashed in mid-air over Washington DC’s Potomac River, officials say.
Sixty-four people were on the American Airlines flight and three on the military helicopter when the aircraft collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Emergency services chief John Donnelly says 28 bodies have been found so far.
It was a “clear night”, the pilots were “experienced” and everything was standard in the lead-up to the crash, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says – but “obviously something happened”
Investigators are focusing on “why the helicopter was flying at that location”.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump also questioned why the helicopter didn’t “go up or down, or turn”
Crash could renew questions about congestion at airport
It’s likely this crash will renew questions about safety in the US aviation industry.
Last year the US government approved 10 new flight slots for Regan National Airport despite opposition from some local politicians over congestion concerns after some near misses.
Reports of the conversations between air traffic controllers and the aircraft suggest that the controllers were alert to the dangers as this accident was unfolding.
Nonetheless there has been a shortage of air traffic controllers in the US in recent years and last year Congress authorized the regulator, the FAA, to recruit more.
That comes after the FAA said it hired the most in nearly a decade last year to address a shortage of around 3,000 personnel.
It’s an issue that the boss of United Airlines Scott Kirby told NPR last month was “the biggest opportunity to make air travel better for customers in the United States” by reducing delays. BBC