Officials have now positively identified 55 of the 67 victims from Wednesday’s devastating midair collision over the Potomac River—a grim milestone in a tragedy that continues to unfold.
“It’s my belief that we’re going to recover everyone,” Fire Chief John Donnelly said at Sunday’s press conference, though his voice carried the weight of what that truly meant. Recovery, not rescue. The distinction was one no one wanted to make, but the reality had been clear for days.
The process of lifting the wreckage from the river begins Monday, led by the Army Corps of Engineers. Officials have warned that it could take a week or longer, each passing day a painful reminder for the families waiting on answers.
“We have a wide debris field,” said Colonel Francis Pera. “Within that wide debris field, we’re employing different techniques to make sure we can understand what’s in the water.” But the work will pause each time human remains are found—a slow, somber task that no one rushes.

A Heartbreaking Gathering
Earlier on Sunday, relatives of the victims were brought by bus to the river’s edge. They stood in silence, some holding hands, some weeping openly, staring at the water that had swallowed their loved ones. It was the closest they could come to a goodbye.
The wreckage, piece by piece, is being transported to a hangar at Reagan National Airport, while much of the Potomac River remains restricted, cleared of traffic to allow the search to continue. Two of the airport’s lesser-used runways remain closed—small disruptions in an otherwise normal day for the thousands of travelers passing through, unaware of the immense loss that lingers just beyond the terminals.
What Went Wrong?
Investigators have begun piecing together the moments before impact. The CRJ-700 jet was flying at 325 feet—data pulled from the aircraft’s black box. The Army helicopter was above 200 feet, already higher than the approved maximum altitude for its route.
The air traffic controller had alerted the helicopter to the jet’s presence two minutes before the crash. It wasn’t enough.
Now, the wreckage waits to be lifted. Families wait for closure. And a city waits, unwillingly carrying the weight of 67 lives lost in the sky above them.