Investigators say they have recovered the flight and voice recorder from an Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with a passenger jet on Wednesday outside of Reagan National Airport.
In a Friday news conference, NTSB officials said the agency has recovered the helicopter's single-unit black box and removed it to agency headquarters. It will now be analyzed to begin the data recovery process.
NTSB also says it is confident it will be able to extract all the relevant data from the flight and voice recorders that were recovered from American Airlines Flight 5342 on Thursday. The voice recorder showed signs of water intrusion, officials said, and noted that such damage is not uncommon in cases of water accidents.
The agency is conducting salvage operations on the Potomac River where the aircraft fell. New barges are expected to arrive by Saturday to continue salvage. NTSB says it is working with the Washington, D.C., Medical Examiner's office so that any victims recovered can be immediately taken for identification.
Two distinct debris fields corresponding to the fallen aircraft. Investigation so far has identified large debris from each aircraft that will be recovered and analyzed. NTSB is using an example aircraft with the same configuration as the Bombardier CRJ700 involved in the crash to aid in identification of recovered debris.
NTSB hopes debris from the accident can be recovered in "quick order," so long as the crash site is preserved and victims can be recovered.
Officials believe that despite tricky conditions in the Potomac River, they will be able to recover all 67 bodies of the victims.
D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly Sr. said Friday that, so far, more than two dozen bodies were pulled from the jet, and one body was recovered from the helicopter.
NTSB officials reiterated on Friday that the agency will not identify any of the victims in is reporting.
"The NTSB will not and has not released a manifest. We have not in our history; we will not in this accident," said NTSB board member Todd Inman. "Any release of that information will come from other individuals or groups."
NTSB expects to produce a preliminary report on the accident within 30 days.
RELATED STORY | Black boxes recovered from jet after fatal collision with helicopter
The crash happened when the jet attempted to land at Reagan National Airport and collided with the Army Black Hawk helicopter, causing both the plane and helicopter to plunge into the river.
The recovery efforts for the crash, which involved 64 people on the plane and three soldiers on a helicopter, were suspended Thursday night but resumed Friday. Authorities believe there are no survivors from the incident.
The NTSB's analysis of the flight data and voice recorders will be crucial in determining the cause of the crash, as the investigation continues.
Skating community devastated by tragedy
Numerous members of the figure skating community were on board Flight 5342. The Skating Club of Boston confirmed that six of its members, including two former Olympians, were on board the flight.
“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.
Wichita just hosted the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championship. The event served as the final qualifier for the U.S. World and World Junior Championship teams.
US Army identifies 2 of the soldiers killed
On Friday, the U.S. Army released information on the crew.
Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, is believed to be deceased pending positive identification.
RELATED STORY | Court TV reporter remembers childhood friend Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara
O’Hara began service as a UH-60 helicopter repairer in the Army in July of 2014.
The remains of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, have not yet been recovered. Eaves is therefore listed as on duty status — whereabouts unknown.
Eaves served in the U.S. Navy from August 2007 to September 2017. He became a UH-60 pilot for the regular Army in September 2017.
The identity of the third crewmember has been withheld at the request of their family. They are therefore also considered duty status — whereabouts unknown.
Trump suggests DEI to blame for crash
While there are still many questions on whether air traffic controllers had any fault in Wednesday's collision, President Donald Trump used the plane crash to complain about diversity hiring initiatives within the Federal Aviation Administration.
President Trump said that race and gender might have played a role in Wednesday's crash.
RELATED STORY | Here's what we know about the victims of the DC-area plane crash
"It may have. I don't know. Incompetence might have played a role. Well, we'll let you know that, but we want the most competent people. We don't care what race they are. We want the most competent people, especially in those positions," President Trump.
The FAA has long struggled with understaffing. On Thursday, the Associated Press reported that air traffic control staffing at Reagan National Airport was "not normal" at the time of the disaster.