A member of the US figure skating team shared a photo from inside the plane that tragically crashed in Washington D.C. At around 7pm local time last night, Spencer Lane, 26, shared the photo showing the jet taxiing on the runway at Wichita Airport in Kansas before taking off for its last flight. The caption read, "ICT - > DCA" which are the codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Several other figure skaters, including athletes expected to compete at the next winter Olympics, were also onboard at the time. They had just attended a National Development Camp for young skaters in Kansas, and were returning home to the DC area. In addition to the Americans, there were also two Russian figure skaters - married Yevgenia Skhiskhkova and Vadim Naumov - on the plane. Their son, Maxim, 23, is part of Team USA, and is said to have been at the camp. It's not clear whether he was also on the flight.

Doomed American Airlines flight AA5342 collided with US military helicopter H60 above the Potomac River as it approached the Ronald Raegan National Airport at about 8:48pm local time. Dozens are feared to have been killed in the worst aviation disaster in years with a temporary morgue being set up near the river. More than 300 responders are working to recover the bodies of those who have died with at least 28 being recovered so far.

Ronald Reagan National Airport, in Washington, halted all take-offs and landings following the crash, which happened at 8.47pm local time. The crash happened as American Airlines flight 5342 was approaching Reagan National Airport, one of the busiest in the US, at the end of a flight from Kansas. The jet was coming in to land at a height of about 400ft, travelling at around 140mph. Thirty seconds before the crash, according to audio obtained by the Associated Press, an air traffic controller asked the pilot of the military Black Hawk helicopter if the arriving plane was in sight. Then they told the helicopter to pass behind the Bombardier CRJ-701 jet.

Seconds later, a fireball was seen over the Potomac River, and the plane's radio transponder showed a sudden loss of altitude. The helicopter had been on a training exercise. Photos from the scene show the twisted remains of the plane. Footage of the debris in the river has also been released, showing the extensive rescue effort as responders battle the cold conditions. The river is estimated to be a chilling 5C and has recently been frozen in places.