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Last Updated:January 30, 2025, 10:44 IST
An American Airlines regional jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air near Reagan Washington Airport, crashing into the Potomac River.
Emergency service vehicles stand near the site of the crash after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington Airport and crashed in the Potomac River (Photo: Reuters)
An American Airlines regional passenger jet collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington Airport early on Thursday (India time). Soon after the collision, both the aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, prompting massive emergency crews to gather for rescue operations.
The American Airlines plane was carrying 60 passengers, along with two pilots and two crew members, while the helicopter was carrying three soldiers at the time of the crash, news agency Reuters quoted a US official as saying.
Later, the Reagan Airport said that all takeoffs and landings had been halted as emergency personnel responded to an aircraft incident.
19 Bodies So Far Recovered From Potomac River: Report
As many as 19 bodies have so far been recovered, according to some unconfirmed media reports, as divers accessed the wreckage in the Potomac River and reported numerous passengers still strapped in their seats underwater.
Passenger Plane, Helicopter Collide Midair | Video
A video of the plane-helicopter crash on social media shows an almost pitch-black helicopter colliding into a passenger plane, and the two exploding into a fireball.
❗️ NEW video of the collision between Blackhawk & Flight 5342
This is a closer shot
Shows a almost pitch-black helicopter ram at speed into passenger plane, which explodes into fireball pic.twitter.com/FbGWQY4TAJ
— RT (@RT_com) January 30, 2025
What Was The Weather Like In Washington At The Time Of The Crash?
The collision occurred on a warm winter evening in Washington, with temperatures registering as high as 60 degrees Fahrenheit, following a stretch days earlier of intense cold and ice.
On Wednesday, the Potomac River was 36 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Weather Service reported that wind gusts of up to 25 mph were possible in the area throughout the evening.
Moments Before Reagan Plane Crash
According to the Associated Press, American Airlines Flight 5342 was inbound to Reagan at an altitude of about 400 feet and a speed of about 140 miles per hour when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River, according to data from its radio transponder. A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan and the pilots said they were able.
Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight.
The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later, “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.”
Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river.
Passengers Onboard Crashed Plane, Helicopter
The US passenger plane was carrying 64 people, including passengers and crew members, while the military helicopter was a Black Hawk model carrying three soldiers.
Federal Aviation Administration Issues Statement
The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair crash occurred around 9 pm EST when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter while on approach to an airport runway.
Reagan Airport Aborts Flight Operations
All takeoffs and landings from the Reagan Airport in Washington have been halted as helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region are flying over the scene in search of survivors.
Search Underway In Potomac River
A large search-and-rescue operation is underway in the nearby Potomac River, where the plane and the helicopter fell soon after the midair collision.
Passenger Jet Collides With Helicopter
A jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan Airport near Washington.
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An eyewitness, Ari Schulman, told CNN that he driving home when he witnessed the plane crash near Reagan Airport in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. READ MORE
