Watch: Rescue efforts as passenger jet and helicopter collide in DC
Airport director says he can't confirm who was on the plane
Romo is then asked about coordination efforts on the ground and he again stresses that American Airlines will distribute the flight manifest, a document which details who was on the plane.
Can you tell us about the figure skaters who were on this flight, one reporter asks?
Romo acknowledges that there's been several reports of figure skaters travelling on board the flight on social media but can't confirm their identities at this time.
He is then asked if impacted families should stay at home or get in touch with airport officials.
Romo says everyone responds to tragedy differently, and says if they are more comfortable coming to the terminal, they are ready to support them in any way they can.
- For context: US and Russian figure skaters were reportedly travelling on the American Airlines flight that crashed in DC
Plane took off normally from Wichita, says airport director
City of WichitaWichita airport director Jesse Romo is now asked about flights. One journalist questions whether everything was normal when the plane took off from Wichita. Romo responds that it was.
He's then asked whether this same flight will operate later. Romo says that he hasn't heard when Reagan Airport will reopen - though it has plans to - and advises travellers to check with American Airlines if they intend to fly.
Mayor says they don't know yet how many passengers were Wichita residents
Wichita Mayor Lily Wu is now taking questions and the first reporter asks whether or not they know how many of the passengers were Wichita residents.
Wu says they don't have that information nor the passenger manifest yet.
'At this time our community needs to come together'
Wu stresses that any information for families and friends should be directed to American Airlines - and repeats that you can get that information at the helpline the company set up (1-800-679-8215).
Wichita City Council and multiple faith leaders in the city will be coming together for a community wide prayer at 12:00 local time (18:00 GMT), the mayor notes.
"At this time our community needs to come together to support the family members that have been impacted," she says, noting that additional resources have been made available for city council staff who have been impacted.
Crash 'will have consequences for years to come'
City of WichitaCongressman Ron Estes says he has spoken to the White House about the "tragic" incident.
Wichita is a close-knit community and the incident will have consequences for years to come, he says.
He adds that the investigation will take days and weeks, but that they hope it will prevent such accidents in the future.
Wichita mayor tearful as she says no one survived plane crash
City of WichitaWichita Mayor Lily Wu is up at the podium, with a few officials alongside her.
She says that the city's hearts are heavy, and that they are still learning details about the tragedy.
She thanks the first responders who have been working through the night and becomes tearful when she confirms that her teams have been told there are no survivors.
This is a terrible tragedy that will unite the city, Wu says, adding that families of victims will be informed before their identities are released.
Wichita press conference begins
Shortly after reporters were addressed by officials in Washington DC, we're now hearing from Wichita authorities.
The American Airlines flight that crashed took off from Wichita, Kansas.
You can follow along by pressing watch live at the top of the page and we'll also bring you the key news lines here.
Verified audio shows moments before helicopter and plane collided
By Jake Horton, BBC Verify
We have verified two pieces of audio from the control tower overseeing air traffic at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The timing of the audio - uploaded to a website which logs air traffic control communications - matches the timing of the collision at about 01:48 GMT (20:48 ET local time).
In one clip you hear what appears to be an air traffic controller say: “PAT 2-5 [helicopter] CRJ [passenger aircraft] in sight… PAT 2-5 responding CRJ.”
This is followed by what appears to be the helicopter pilot saying: “The aircraft is in sight, requesting visual separation.”
About 15 second later in the clip you can hear what appears to be someone in the background say “ooh”.
In a separate recording from the control tower, you can hear additional dialogue in the moments before the crash. What appears to be a flight controller says: “PAT 2-5 CRJ in sight… PAT 2-5 pass behind CRJ.”
Shortly after you hear an “ooh” – as in the first clip – and then about 12 seconds later someone says: “Tower did you see that?"
Listen: Audio from moments ahead of fatal mid-air collision
We've more now from the scene of the accident last night.
In an audio recording, air traffic controllers can be heard telling the military helicopter to avoid the commercial flight carrying 60 passengers.
As you can hear below, the control team then begins diverting flights nearby after appearing to see the helicopter and plane collide.
Air traffic controllers appear to try to stop collision
Key details to know about the deadly mid-air collision
We heard a little earlier from local officials in Washington DC after the US suffered its first major commercial air crash in nearly 16 years.
Here's the latest information you need to know:
- No survivors are expected after an American Airlines flight collided in with a Black Hawk helicopter in Washington DC last night and crashed into the Potomac River, officials say
- The jet came from Wichita, Kansas and had 60 passengers and four crew members onboard. The military helicopter was carrying three soldiers
- Authorities say 27 bodies from the plane have been recovered so far alongside one from the helicopter
- US transport secretary Sean Duffy has told the media that he thinks the crash was preventable and that there was no breakdown in communication between the plane and helicopter
- The control tower sounded an alert at 20:48 local time (01:48 GMT), to which about 300 rescue workers responded, officials say
- Away from the press conference, rescuers are continuing to search the wreckage and have been facing "very tough conditions", with freezing, dark, and icy conditions in the water
ReutersAftermath of crash seen in neighbouring town
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Alexandria, VirginiaI'm currently in Alexandria, Virginia - just south of the airport down the Potomac River.
On a normal day, this would be a quiet place. This morning, however, is loud. Helicopters have been flying back and forth along this stretch of river, and several police patrol points are bobbing nearby.
In the distance, I can see at least a dozen sets of red and blue police lights flickering closer to the sight of the crash.
Crash could renew questions about congestion at airport
Jonathan Josephs
BBC business reporterIt’s likely this crash will renew questions about safety in the US aviation industry.
Last year the US government approved 10 new flight slots for Reagan National Airport despite opposition from some local politicians over congestion concerns after some near misses.
Reports of the conversations between air traffic controllers and the aircraft suggest that the controllers were alert to the dangers as this accident was unfolding.
Nonetheless there has been a shortage of air traffic controllers in the US in recent years and last year Congress authorised the regulator, the FAA, to recruit more.
That comes after the FAA said it hired the most in nearly a decade last year to address a shortage of around 3,000 personnel.
It’s an issue that the boss of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, told NPR last month was “the biggest opportunity to make air travel better for customers in the United States” by reducing delays.
Airport press conference ends - but another expected shortly
Getty ImagesAfter fielding questions from the press, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser brings the press conference at Washington National Airport to a close.
We're expecting to hear another statement to the press from authorities in Wichita, Kansas - where the commercial flight departed from - at 08:00 local time; that's in about 45 minutes.
We'll bring you updates when we have them, but in the meantime, stick with us and we'll bring you some analysis on what we've just heard.
We need to wait for all information but looks like crash was preventable - Duffy says
The transport secretary then answers questions about the pilots, saying both were experienced.
The helicopter's mission was classed as a "training mission", which he says could lead people to think someone inexperienced is in the cockpit, but he says not to "read into that".
Duffy also says he will wait for all the information to come through but he thinks the incident was preventable.
He also confirms that President Donald Trump will be in the Situation Room this morning and has been kept in "full appraisal" of what's taking place.
'The helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area'
Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy is now answering questions about the flight path of the helicopter and air traffic control at the time of the incident.
He says he doesn't want to go into too much detail about the information from the Federal Aviation Administration but that prior to the collision, the flight paths of both aircraft were not unusual for DC airspace.
As this investigation moves forward we'll provide more information, he says.
On air traffic control he also says he won't make a statement but adds that everything was standard in the lead up to the crash.
"Obviously something happened," he says, adding that we will learn more as the investigation progresses.
Duffy is also asked about communication between the helicopter, the commercial plane and flight control - he says there was no breakdown in communication between the military helicopter and the American Airline flight.
"The helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area," he says.
Collecting plane debris will take time and more equipment
DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly answers the next question, about the size of the debris field.
He says that the wind has caused debris to travel from the airport as far as the Wilson Bridge, which he says is less than a mile away.
Answering another question on the next phase of the operation - which he confirms will be led by the National Transportation Safety Board - he says "all of us are working together to search the area and find all [the] victims."
"That will take us a little bit of time and we may need more equipment," he adds, specifically as it relates to collecting the debris from the crash.
Officials stress airport is safe to reopen as planned
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser takes the first question from the media, with a reporter asking if the DC official can say if it's safe to fly.
Bowser says that what she can talk about today is the specific crash and that the National Transportation Safety Board is going to continue to investigate the situation.
She adds that she doesn't believe anyone of us has been briefed on anything that would suggest any other aircraft is implicated.
Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority president Jack Potter also stresses that the airport is safe to reopen at 11:00 and that the runway is operating away from the ongoing recovery operations.
He adds that airlines will communicate with their passengers about their travel.
Not the time to speculate - Sen Tim Kaine
ReutersWe're hearing from a couple of senators now, one of whom is Senator Tim Kaine.
He says that there will be a lot of questions, which is the National Transportation Safety Board's, (NTSB) job to investigate.
It's not a time to speculate, but a time to investigate Kaine says, before adding that he is confident this will be done.
Reagan airport will reopen at 11:00 local time
Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority president Jack Potter says the Ronald Reagan National Airport will open at 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) today
American Airlines CEO says crash is 'devastating'
ReutersAmerican Airlines CEO Robert Isom is now addressing the crowd gathered at the airport.
"This is devastating" Isom says, extending his condolences to everyone involved.
"Our focus right now is to do everything we can to support everyone involved," he adds, saying that families and friends looking for information about their loved ones can call the helpline (1-800-679-8125) that's been set up.
Isom explains again the details of the crash and reiterates that the American Airlines flight descended "in normal approach" to Reagan National Airport.
At this time we don't know why it collided with the helicopter, Isom says.
He again confirms that there were 64 people travelling on board the flight - four crew members and 60 passengers.
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