DC plane crash live updates: Crews work to find remaining victims ...

Dozens of bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River after an American Airlines jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter, claiming the lives of 67 people.

Authorities are going through the gruesome process of identifying the victims found so far, as families of people on board are forced to wait to have their worst fears confirmed.

Among those who have been identified are the personnel flying the two aircraft. The American Airlines crew included Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Sam Lilley, 28. The Blackhawk crew included instructor pilot Andrew Eaves. His female co-pilot has yet to be named.

Read the full story.

Sam Lilley, 28, was one of two people piloting the flight from Wichita, Kansas, his father Timothy Lilley told Fox 5 Atlanta.

The young pilot was engaged, his dad said adding that he feared the worst when his son failed to check in after the flight as usual.

“This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” Lilley told Fox 5.

Lilley served as an Army helicopter pilot for 20 years, telling Fox 5 that he has flown a similar route over the Potomac River.

“I think the PSA jet was doing everything right,” he said. “The Army pilot made a grave error. It hurts me because those are my brothers, and now my son is dead.”

A teenage figure skater who died in the American Airlines plane crash shared her dreams of representing Team USA in heartbreaking footage taken before her death.

Tributes have poured in for 14-year-old Everly Livingston and her 11-year-old sister, Alydia, who died when American Airlines Flight 5342 and a US military helicopter collided in a huge fireball before plunging into the icy-cold Potomac River near Reagan airport.

In resurfaced footage from last year, Everly, who was then 13, told Fox5 DC about her dreams of representing the USA internationally in the future.

Alex Croft has the story.

FAA employees received an email late Thursday — just one day after the fatal collision — from the Office of Personnel Management encouraging them to seek ‘higher productivity’ jobs in the private sector.

“We encourage you to find a job in the private sector as soon as you would like to do so,” read the email, which was reviewed by The New York Times. “The way to greater American prosperity is encouraging people to move from lower productivity jobs in the public sector to higher productivity jobs in the private sector.”

Federal employees at other agencies also received the email, the outlet reported. But the message likely hit the FAA particularly hard, as the agency is already under scrutiny for its staffing during the incident.

An air traffic controller was given the job of two people after one worker clocked off early on Wednesday evening, the night of the crash.

The mass email was sent days after the same White House office sent out another email blast, which offered a nearly eight-month buyout to employees if they choose to quit by February 6.

Donald Trump responded sarcastically to questions about whether he would be visiting the site of the deadly crash over the Potomac River in Washington D.C., asking reporters at the White House: “You want me to go swimming?”

The president said on Thursday he would be meeting with some of the families of victims of the tragedy, which occurred at Ronald Reagan Airport Wednesday night. All 67 people involved in the crash are presumed dead, authorities said previously.

When asked about his plans to visit the crash site, he replied: “I have a plan to visit, not the site. Because you tell me, what’s the site? The water? You want me to go swimming?”

Mike Bedigan has the story.

Lindsey Fields, a Kansas biology professor, lost her life in the fatal collision, according to the National Association of Biology Teachers.

“Lindsey was traveling to represent the NABT community and advocate for excellence in life science education. This is a tremendous loss. Please keep Lindsey, the other victims, and their families in your hearts. We also ask that you respect the privacy of her loved ones at this time.”

Butler Community College also shared a statement with the Butler County Times Gazette: “With broken hearts we send our condolences to her family and friends, and the students, faculty and staff whom we know without a doubt were positively impacted by Lindsey’s energy and dedication to her craft.”

“Lindsey was a colleague, friend, and educator who dedicated her wisdom and talents to changing students’ lives every day. We owe her much gratitude for sharing her light with us and we will forever feel this loss. We send much love and support to her family and friends during this most difficult time,” the statement read.