As recovery efforts on the Potomac River continue after a midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines plane on Wednesday night, a Virginia rescue diver and firefighter shed light on the challenges divers may be facing in the frigid waters. 

A total of 64 people, including passengers and flight crew members, were aboard AA Flight 5342 from Wichita to Reagan National Airport (DCA). Three soldiers were conducting a training operation on the Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk that came from Fort Belvoir in Virginia. 

All 67 people onboard both aircraft are presumed dead. As of Friday afternoon, authorities said they had recovered 41 sets of remains and identified 28 of those victims.

“This is incredibly unusual. You know, we’re trained and always ready to answer the call…when the dive call comes in. But that’s typically involving one victim. And in rare occasions, a couple of victims,” Jake Crockett, a firefighter and diver with the Scuba Rescue Team of Chesterfield Fire & EMS, told Fox News Digital. 

Search and rescue efforts are seen around a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, early Thursday morning, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Va.  (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)

What originally began as a search and rescue effort Wednesday turned to a recovery mission once officials believed there were no survivors.

“Once it’s turned over to a recovery mission…our goal is to provide that closure,” Crockett said, adding that the victims’ families “need to be able to properly bury their loved one and grieve and mourn in an appropriate way.” 

Crockett added that if his team were called upon to aid in the recovery efforts, they would be prepared for the challenge. 

“The first responder family is massive and everyone’s always willing,” he said. 

Fox News’ Audrey Conklin and Greg Norman contributed to this report.