WASHINGTON — More than a dozen bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River after a plane collided with a military helicopter in midair and crashed into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on Wednesday night.
The FAA says Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, collided with the Black Hawk helicopter while approaching a runway at DCA around 9 p.m. According to the flight manifest, 60 passengers and four crewmembers were onboard when the plane collided and crashed into the Potomac River.
The Potomac River was running around 42 degrees at the time of the crash. CBS News is reporting that 18 bodies have been pulled from the water. At a news conference early Thursday morning, officials declined to comment on survivors, injuries, or deaths.
None of the passengers have been identified at this time. WUSA9 spoke with Hamaad Raza in Terminal 2 as he waited to hear any news about his wife who was on Flight 5342.
“We’re landing in 20,” was the last text Raza received from his wife. When he tried to reply, he realized none of his messages went through.
“That’s when I realized something might be up,” he told WUSA9.