The black box from the Black Hawk helicopter involved in a collision with an American Airlines passenger plane was recovered on Friday, as confirmed by the National Transportation Safety Board.
While the NTSB did not release the flight manifest, it was expected to be disclosed later in the day.
The manifest will list the individuals aboard the American Airlines flight, which carried 60 passengers and four crew members when it collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Crews continued recovery operations, with the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services confirming that 41 bodies had been recovered, including all three soldiers from the helicopter.
By Friday afternoon, 28 victims had been identified, and 18 families had been notified.
Authorities expressed confidence in locating the remaining remains, believing all bodies would be recovered soon.
The U.S. Army identified two of the soldiers on the Black Hawk: Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, from Lilburn, Georgia, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, from Great Mills, Maryland. The third soldier’s identity is being withheld at the family’s request.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly stated during a Thursday briefing that the flight manifest for American Airlines Flight 5342 would be shared once all families had been notified, including some overseas families.
“They are waiting for all of the families to be notified,” Kelly said. “There are some folks on that plane who are from overseas. That’s partially the reason for the delay. They expect we would likely have the manifest on Friday afternoon.”
She added that the manifest was expected to be made public by Friday afternoon.
The tragic collision resulted in the presumed deaths of 67 individuals aboard both the American Airlines flight and the military helicopter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions on certain helicopter routes near the airport, limiting air traffic to police and medical helicopters only between the airport and nearby bridges.
The crash is being investigated, and the NTSB is focusing on several factors, including human, mechanical, and environmental elements.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the incident, reiterating his belief that the helicopter was flying too high, exceeding the 200-foot limit.
“The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot,” he posted on Truth Social. “It was far above the 200-foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???”
The NTSB is investigating the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recovered from the American Airlines jet.
Investigators are also looking into air traffic control communications just before the crash, where the plane was cleared for landing at a shorter runway and the helicopter was asked if it could see the plane. Despite this exchange, the collision occurred moments later.
American Eagle Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700 arriving from Wichita, Kansas, had 60 passengers and four crew members on board.
The helicopter, a UH-60 Black Hawk, was based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The pilots were experienced, with the pilot-in-command having 1,000 flying hours and the co-pilot having nearly 500.
Among the victims were figure skaters, coaches, and members of the D.C. Steamfitters union.
“May they rest in peace,” stated UA Local 602, located in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on X.
U.S. Figure Skating expressed their heartbreak, and the United Association Steamfitters confirmed that four of their members were on the flight.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.
One of the deceased crew members was First Officer Sam Lilley, as confirmed by his father, Tim Lilley.
The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. also confirmed the presence of two Chinese nationals among the victims.
Here are the known victims:
Melissa Jane Nicandri
Kiah Duggins
Olivia Ter
Donna Smojice Livingston
Peter Livingston
Everly Livingston
Alydia Livingston
Mikey Stovall
Tommy Clagett
Steve Johnson
John Boyd
Grace Maxwell
Robert “Bobby” Schrock
Lori Schrock
Sasha Kirsanov
Ian Epstein
Sam Lilley
Evgenia Shishkova
Vadim Naumov
Jinna Han
Jin Han
Spencer Lane
Christine Lane
Asra Hussain
Jonathan Campos
Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves
