Fact Check: Was Barack Obama on Army helicopter that crashed into American Airlines plane?

WASHINGTON, DC: The plane carrying 64 passengers and crew collided midair with a helicopter near Washington DC's Ronald Reagan Airport on Wednesday, January 29 evening. The helicopter had three people on board, who were dubbed "fairly experienced crew" by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to BBC.

Amid the tragedy, a rumor circulated online claiming that former president Barack Obama was on the Army helicopter that crashed into the American Airlines plane. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: Barack Obama was on Army helicopter that crashed into American Airlines plane

A viral rumor about the crash claimed that former president Barack Obama was on the military helicopter. Several posts on Facebook,  and X (formerly Twitter) claimed that a VIP on the Blackhawk helicopter was none other than the former president.

A user on Facebook posted a picture of the former president and wrote, "UNCONFIRMED: RUMORS ARE CIRCULATING THAT THE VIP ON THE BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER THAT CRASHED WAS BARACK OBAMA."

Meanwhile, a similar post was made on X by a user which was later removed, according to Snopes.

False: Three individuals in helicopter were soldiers

The claims made in the online rumor have been debunked as official statements have confirmed that the three individuals in the helicopter were soldiers. Moreover, no relevant news website or media outlet covered any such stories, according to Snopes.

Furthermore, Obama himself issued a statement on his X account, expressing sadness over the crash, proving that he was not in the helicopter.

He wrote, "Our hearts break for the families who lost loved ones in the tragic plane and helicopter crash at DCA. Michelle and I send our prayers and condolences to everyone who is mourning today, and we're grateful to the first responders who are doing everything they can to help under extremely difficult circumstances."

Tragic airplane-helicopter crash leaves no survivors

Officials believed no one survived the crash from either the airplane or the helicopter, according to The Hill. Washington DC's Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said in a press briefing that operations were shifting from search-and-rescue to recovery efforts.

He said, "At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident, and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter."

Moreover, Pete Hegseth, the newly confirmed US secretary of defense, also issued a statement from his office. He mentioned, "It's a tragedy, a horrible loss of life for those 64 souls on that civilian airliner, and of course the three soldiers in that Black Hawk [helicopter]."

Furthermore, he added that the helicopter was on an "annual proficiency training flight" but the agency would not release the names of the soldiers as their families had not been notified yet, per the outlet.

Meanwhile, figure skaters from the US and Russia were among the passengers on the plane, as per the officials from US Figure Skating and a club in Boston.

Around 300 responders were deployed on rubber boats to search for survivors, Donnelly said. He added, "The challenge is access, there is wind, pieces of ice [on the water]. It is dangerous and hard to work in."