All 67 people on board the two aircraft - an American Airlines passenger plane and a Sikorsky H-60 military helicopter - died in a mid-air collision over the Potomac River in the US capital, Washington, US authorities announced at a special press conference called by the city's mayor Muriel Bowser.
The head of the capital's fire department, John Donnelly, confirmed that there were no survivors and that 28 bodies had been pulled from the water. The wreckage of both aircraft is underwater, and a massive search operation is expected to continue for several days.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said there was no evidence of foul play or terrorism.
"The investigation is ongoing, but at this time there is no indication of intentional action or outside interference," an FBI spokesman said.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening local time when an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft, flying from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (DCA).
The US Department of Defense confirmed that the military helicopter was on a training flight with three service members on board. It is not yet clear why it fell into the path of the passenger plane.
The passengers included about 15 figure skaters, coaches and their family members who were returning from a training camp in Wichita.
The 1994 world figure skating champions from Russia Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were also on board, along with their son Maxim, who is also a competitor, and former Soviet competitor Inna Volyanskaya, who worked as a coach in Washington.
More than 300 rescue teams are working in extremely difficult conditions. Air and water temperatures are extremely low, making the search difficult.
"The darkness, cold and murky water, and strong winds are creating enormous challenges for divers," said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser.
One of the plane's black boxes has already been found and will be analyzed.
President Donald Trump reacted sharply to the crash.
"The plane was on a perfect and routine landing approach. The helicopter flew directly towards it for a long time. The night was clear, why didn't it change course or altitude?", he wrote on Truth Social.
The airport remained closed to all flights, and is expected to reopen Friday morning.