At least 30 people were killed when a PSA Airlines regional passenger jet collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The passenger jet, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, crashed into the Potomac River after the tragic collision, prompting an immediate and large-scale emergency response.
The collision occurred around 9pm local time, grounding all flights at Reagan National Airport. Multiple agencies, including fireboats, rushed to the scene in the dark and freezing conditions to conduct search and rescue operations. Washington police confirmed that bodies had been recovered from the water, while NBC reported that four people were pulled alive from the Potomac.
The passenger jet involved in the crash was a Bombardier regional jet, operated by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines. The aircraft had 60 passengers and four crew members onboard.
The plane was nearing its destination at Washington DC when it collided with the Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter, which was carrying three soldiers. The Black Hawk helicopter, commonly known as the H-60, can carry up to 15 people, including crew.
Officials did not provide a death toll from Wednesday night's collision but US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, where the flight originated, suggested most if not all those on board had been killed.
"It's really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously," he told a press conference at Reagan airport in the nation's capital early on Thursday.
"When one person dies, it's a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it's an unbearable sorrow. It's a heartbreak beyond measure."
Jack Potter, the president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said first responders were in "rescue mode."
American Airlines confirmed 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the jet. The helicopter, on a training flight, was carrying three soldiers, a US official said.
CBS News, citing a police official, said at least 30 bodies had been recovered. Two sources told Reuters multiple bodies had been pulled from the water.
The midair collision occurred as the pasenger jet, traveling from Wichita in Kansas, was on approach to land at Reagan. Radio communications between the air traffic control tower and the Black Hawk showed the helicopter crew knew the plane was in the vicinity.
The Pentagon said it was launching an investigation.
In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump questioned the actions of the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers.
"The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn't the helicopter go up or down, or turn," Trump wrote.
"Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!"
Air traffic control recordings appear to capture the final attempted communications with the helicopter, call sign PAT25, before it collides with the plane, described as CRJ.
"PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ," an air traffic controller says at 8:47 pm (0147 GMT), according to a recording on liveatc.net.
Seconds later, another aircraft calls in to air traffic control, saying, "Tower, did you see that?" - apparently referring to the crash. An air traffic controller then redirects planes heading to runway 33 to go around.
Webcam video of the crash showed the impact between the aircraft and the helicopter, and an explosion lighting up the night sky.
Just after the collision, an air traffic controller was heard saying over the radio, "I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven't seen anything since they hit the river."
Rescue efforts
Relatives gathered at the airport said they were receiving little official information about the incident. One man wept as he stood on the sidewalk at 3am outside the airport.Among those on board were Russian former world ice skating champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, Russian state media reported. So too were several U.S. ice skaters, family members and coaches returning from a camp following figure skating championships in Wichita, governing body U.S. Figure Skating said.
Washington DC fire chief John Donnelly said at least 300 first responders were continuing to work on the "highly complex" rescue operation.
"Conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders," Donnelly said. "It's cold. They're dealing with windy conditions."
Asked by reporters whether there were any survivors, he responded that "we don't know yet."
Hypothermia is a concern for any possible survivors and first responders.
"At these frigid water temperatures, the human body’s core temperature quickly drops. Exhaustion or unconsciousness can occur in as little as 15 to 30 minutes," AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin said.
Hours after the crash, a helicopter circled, shining a spotlight into the water. A rescue team on a boat peered into the water with a flashlight.
Airports authority CEO Potter said the airport would remain closed until at least 11 a.m. on Thursday.
In 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River, killing 70 passengers and four crew members. Only four passengers and one crew member survived.
The last deadly major crash involving a commercial airliner in the U.S. was in 2009, when all 49 people aboard a Colgan Air flight died when the plane crashed in New York state. One person was also killed on the ground.
A series of near-miss incidents in recent years has raised safety concerns.
PSA was operating Flight 5342 for American Airlines, the FAA said.
"We're cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can," American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the grounding of all planes at the airport as authorities launched a full investigation into the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is expected to assist in determining the cause of the midair collision.
“We are aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, has been involved in an incident. We will provide further information as it becomes available,” American Airlines said in a statement. The company also expressed its condolences to those affected by the tragedy.
The incident has raised alarm over air safety, and investigations will focus on the circumstances leading up to the crash, including the coordination between the two aircraft and air traffic control operations at Reagan National Airport.
President Donald Trump was briefed on the situation and expressed his condolences for the tragedy. "It appears that a military helicopter collided with a regional jet," said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, expressed support for the families affected by the crash. "Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragedy, and we are mobilizing to support the families and crews directly impacted," she said.
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