Why Couldn't DC Officials Say This Last Night About the Reagan Air Disaster?

It’s a terrible day for the country. The plane crash at Reagan National Airport last night is the worst air disaster in years. There were 64 people onboard American Airlines flight 5342 from Kansas. Three were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter. The flight was coming in on approach when it collided with the chopper, killing everyone.

BREAKING: 4 people have been rescued from the water, according to NBC4 🙏🏻 https://t.co/mfq48czBfH
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 30, 2025

Why couldn’t Mayor Muriel Bowser and other officials reveal that last night at their presser, which started a little after 1 AM this morning? There were reports from NBC4 Washington that four people were retrieved from the Potomac, though nothing could be confirmed. To let that unconfirmed rumor circulate and not address it at this press conference seemed a bit unseemly. It’s already out there, and some noted how letting this rumor suppurate tortured anxious families, who finally got the bad news later this morning.

DC Mayor says she will not confirm tonight any survivors or fatalities https://t.co/NGb8ed0lx3
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 30, 2025

Yes. One of my friends is going through this right now. His wife was on the flight. Sweet girl who I knew from my time working in NC years ago when they were dating. They have two children ages 3 and 1. I feel sick to my stomach for him. Our friend group is with him for support -… https://t.co/mwGIgZyDDR
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 30, 2025

As Leah wrote, there are no survivors, but that was clearly the case hours ago. The water is freezing. Any passenger would have been soaked for almost two-plus hours, and hypothermia set in well before that. The scanners were fraught with brutal updates that did not bode well for survivors, which only got magnified when images of the fuselage were revealed.

#BREAKING from D.C. Fire & EMS chief John Donnelly: "Despite all those efforts we are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident. We have recovered 27 people… pic.twitter.com/Xh9CpW5XXh
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 30, 2025

Then, there were brutal reports about how it was unlikely anyone survived this crash:

CNN's Tom Foreman, stating the reality it's unlikely there will be any survivors from the American Airlines crash: "This plane would be coming in at about 150 miles an hour, when the impact would have occurred. That would have been a tremendous shock to the cabin itself and then… pic.twitter.com/Z9O0g4FFG7
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 30, 2025

Two more angles of the wreckage of the American Airlines plane in the Potomac.

Horrifying pic.twitter.com/Vy5SWVCs5z
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 30, 2025

I understand the situation was fluid, but after four hours, at least give some update on any possible fatalities or survivors because the horse had left the barn. To flat out refuse to say anything about that aspect while commenting that the conditions for divers were treacherous (and they were) due to the cold, wind, and darkness seemed to be dancing around what we already knew—that this was a recovery effort, not a rescue anymore. It's not like this presser was held an hour or two after the crash. These people knew no one survived.

I understand this is a touchy situation and that no one was intentionally trying to cause additional grief, but if you know, you should reveal such details to the public. And it wouldn't shock me if everyone knew there would be no survivors by 1 AM.

***

Also, leave this man alone:

🚨 JUST IN: A man waiting at Reagan National Airport says he was there waiting for his wife, who was on board the doomed plane

“I'm just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now.”

This is absolutely heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/2ZwZKzFj93
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 30, 2025