close video Terrifying audio captures moment American Airlines plane, military helicopter crash near DC
Aviation expert Captain Mike Coffield breaks down the response process and investigation following a midair collision between a regional airline jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the White House, in coordination with American Airlines, will release the names of the victims of Wednesday's deadly plane crash near Washington, D.C.
"They are a group of people that have lost their lives. If you want a list of the names, we can give you that we'll be giving that very soon in coordination with American Airlines," Trump told reporters during a Thursday press conference.
Trump didn't specify when the names would be released.
As of Thursday night, authorities recovered at least 28 bodies from the Potomac River after an American Airlines flight — carrying 60 passengers and four crew members — and a military helicopter collided near Washington, D.C.
DC PLANE CRASH INVESTIGATORS TO REVIEW COMMUNICATION BETWEEN 2 AIRCRAFT: SENATOR
Victims identified in DC plane crash involving American Airlines jet and military helicopter. (Getty Images)
The Army told Fox News Digital that the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, was "from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir" and was conducting a "training flight."
One of the soldiers was identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves and Eaves' wife, Carrie, confirmed the loss on social media Thursday night.
"I am sure by now all of you have heard the news of the tragedy that has occurred in DC," Carrie Eaves wrote on Facebook. "My husband was one of the pilots in the Black Hawk. We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today."
Pilot Sam Lilley, a 28-year-old who was serving as first officer on American Airlines flight 5342, and flight attendant Ian Epstein have also been identified by family members.
American Airlines has not yet confirmed the identities of Lilley or Epstein, and has not responded to FOX Business' request for comment on when it plans to release the names of the flight 5342 victims.
Fox News Digital reported flight 5342 passenger Wendy Shaffer, a mother of two young children, died in the crash.
The Skating Club of Boston announced Thursday that six of its members, including skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane — and their mothers, died in the wreck.
Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who competed in multiple Olympic Games and medaled in multiple world championships, were also among those aboard the American Airlines flight, according to the Kremlin.
Emergency response units search the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed Wednesday night on approach to Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The Loudoun County Public Schools in Ashburn, Virginia, said some of its former students were on the flight, and Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia wrote in a statement on its website that three students and six parents in the district were killed in the crash.
"This unimaginable loss has deeply affected our community, and with great sorrow, we have learned that multiple victims were former LCPS students. Many other Loudoun families have also been impacted, and we extend our deepest condolences to all those grieving in the wake of this tragedy," said Superintendent Aaron Spence.
While unconfirmed, the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA) reported five of its members were on board, and Fowl Plains hunting club in Great Bend, Kansas, wrote on Facebook that seven clients died in the wreck.
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FOX Business will update the story with the list of names when they are released.