According to an aviation expert, the passengers on the plane involved in the Washington DC crash would have faced terrifying final moments had they survived the impact with the Army chopper.

Jim Brauchle, a former U.S. Air Force navigator, described the crash near Reagan National Airport as occurring rapidly, suggesting that the passengers likely did not have time to comprehend the situation before the fatal impact, which would have resulted in instant casualties for most on board.

The tragic incident occurred when a Bombardier CRJ700 jet, operated by American Airlines regional subsidiary American Eagle, was hit by a Black Hawk helicopter during an Army training mission on a Wednesday night, resulting in the loss of all passengers and crew on both aircraft.

‘Based on what we know about the accident I don’t think they had any advanced warning that anything was gonna happen,’ Brauchle, an aviation attorney, told DailyMail.com on Thursday.

‘I think they would have had the impact and then the fall into the water, and if they had survived [the impact], obviously, it was a terrifying last minute or so of their lives.’

Brauchle, who has represented many victims of airline disasters in lawsuits, added that experts had feared a tragedy like the one on Wednesday was imminent, because of the increasing number of close encounters between aircraft. 

‘I’ve gone record saying that that we’re having a lot of close calls, and that I was hopeful that it wouldn’t happen, but I think a lot of people in the aviation world suspected that eventually something was going to happen,’ Brauchle added.

‘With all those close calls, something ultimately was going to happen.’

Former U.S. Air Force navigator Jim Brauchle said the crash near the Reagan National Airport in DC would have happened in a matter of seconds, and it’s likely most of the passengers never realized what was happening. The moment of impact is pictured above 

Rescue boats search the waters of the Potomac River for survivors after the deadly plane crash

The plane was a Bombardier CRJ700 jet – flown by American Airlines regional subsidiary American Eagle (stock picture )

Part of the issue has been an increase in air traffic coupled with a significant shortfall of air controllers in the FAA. 

Brauchle said it’s too early to draw conclusions, but the main question is how these two aircraft came to occupy the same airspace.

However, he added that there will likely be many lawsuits filed by the victims’ families and the tragedy will hopefully lead to safer air travel in the country.

Aviation lawyer Jim Brauchle said experts had feared a tragedy like the one on Wednesday was imminent

He added: ‘The one good thing about aviation is they try to learn from past accidents and try to make corrections to prevent future accidents. 

‘So hopefully, out of a tragedy something good will come out that will prevent this from happening again.’

The midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight from Kansas killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft, officials said Thursday.

At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the jet late Wednesday while it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, officials said. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter. 

The passengers included figure skaters returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita and two of their Russian coaches, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. 

The pilots of the American Eagle jet were Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed. And both flight attendants who were on that tragic flight have been revealed as Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder.

Spencer Lane is pictured on the podium during a previous tournament. He was on board the American Airlines plane that crashed into the Potomac River in Washington DC, killing at least 30

The pilot of the crashed American Airlines flight has been identified as Jonathan Campos, 34

Samuel Lilley, 29, has been revealed as the First Officer on board the doomed commercial flight. He was newly engaged and months away from being promoted to captain

President Donald Trump said in a White House news conference that no one had survived.

‘We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,’ said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital.

The plane was found upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, and first responders were searching an area of the Potomac as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, roughly 3 miles south of the airport, Donnelly said. The helicopter wreckage was also found. Images from the river showed boats around the partly submerged wing and the mangled wreckage of the plane’s fuselage.

The collision is the deadliest U.S. air crash since 2001.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas.

‘On final approach into Reagan National, it collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach,’ American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said.

A top Army aviation official said the Black Hawk crew was ‘very experienced’ and familiar with the congested flying that occurs daily around Washington.

‘Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them,’ said Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation. ‘Even the crew chief in the back has been in the unit for a very long time, very familiar with the area, very familiar with the routing structure.’

Danasia Elder was revealed to be one of the flight attendants on board the commercial plane 

Ian Epstein was the second flight attendant identified on board the doomed American Airlines flight

A helicopter flies near the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River

The helicopter’s maximum allowed altitude at the time of the crash was 200 feet above ground, Koziol said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that elevation seemed to be a factor in the collision.

President Donald Trump opened a White House news conference after the crash with a moment of silence honoring the victims, calling it an ‘hour of anguish’ for the country. 

But he spent most of his time casting political blame, lashing out at the Biden administration and diversity efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration, saying they had led to slipping standards — even as he acknowledged that the cause of the crash was unknown.

Without evidence, Trump blamed air traffic controllers, the helicopter pilots and Democratic policies at federal agencies. He claimed the FAA was ‘actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative.’