US: Plane had "very quick, rapid impact", says NTSB member on mid-air collision

"Right now, we're going through the debris fields. Nothing we've seen would indicate that maybe slides or shoots were deployed. It was a very quick, rapid impact," NTSB member Todd Inman said in a press briefing.

He also informed that the NTSB received a "very large package of information" from the Federal Aviation Administration.

"We received a very large package of information from the FAA at about 3 a.m. I believe, this morning, that is still being reviewed and analysed. I would say there's a lot more information that usually comes in than that what you may find online, and people might speculate about, and that is part of that overall process where we take the time to get the information correct and to make sure all the parties are engaged, involved, and can fact check that information," Inman said.

NTSB also assured to investigate every aspect to determine the cause of the deadly collision.

"We will look at all the humans that were involved in this accident. We will look at the aircraft, we will look at the helicopter and we will look at the environment in which they were operating in," NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said.

A mid-air collision occurred between a American Airlines plane and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport outside Washington, DC on Wednesday night. The collision resulted in both aircraft crashing into the Potomac River. US authorities have confirmed that all 67 people are feared to be dead.

Earlier, President Donald Trump expressed grief over the loss of lives in the plane crash, calling it a "devastating moment" in the nation's history.

Acknowledging the impact on families across the United States and abroad, including Russian nationals on board, he assured that efforts would be made to determine the cause of the disaster and prevent such incidents in the future.

Addressing a press briefing on the aviation disaster, Trump said, "Sadly, there are no survivors. This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital and in our nation's history and a tragedy of terrible proportions as we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly. This is really shaking a lot of people, including people from other nations."

Trump also blamed Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama for lowering air safety standards.

Trump blamed Obama and Biden for 'putting' policy first instead of the safety of the citizens. He emphasised that the job requires people with "superior intelligence."

"Democrats put policy first and they put politics at a level that nobody's ever seen," Trump said during the press briefing.

"They actually came out with a directive too white and we want the people that are competent," He added. (ANI)