Black Hawk helicopter was in air for 9 minutes before crash with American Airlines flight

As of Thursday morning, 30 bodies were recovered from the Potomac River. Officials have said they do not expect to find survivors. The Black Hawk helicopter took off from Fort Belvoir, Virginia at 8:39 pm on Wednesday evening, according to WTOP.

At 8:40 pm, American Airline Flight 5342 was approaching Reagan National’s runway 33. At 8:48 pm, the air traffic control tower (ACT) asked the Black Hawk pilots, “Do you have the CRJ in sight?”

The pilot of the helicopter responded, and confirmed that the passenger plane was seen, and requested a "visual separation." Another plane was taking off at the same time and it's possible that the helicopter pilot thought ACT was asking about that flight as well. ACT instructed the helicopter to go behind the plane. Instead it collided with it.

Only seconds later, from about 300 feet in the air, the Black Hawk helicopter collided with Flight 5342. The commercial flight was flying at around 145 miles per hour. Footage of the event showed the aircraft colliding, followed by an explosion over the Potomac River.

DC Fire Chief John Donnelly told reporters on Thursday morning that the rescue operation turned into a recovery operation, as officials no longer believe there are any survivors. “The conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders. It’s cold. They’re dealing with relatively windy conditions. Wind is hard out on the river," Donnelly added.

US figure skaters as well as those from the Russian team were among those on the flight. US Figure Skating stated in response to the tragedy, “These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas."

"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available," the statement added. Officials said that they are working to recover the bodies of the dead and informing their families.