There are fears of mass casualties after a Blackhawk military helicopter crashed with an American Airlines passenger plane above a major airport during the night. All runways have been shut down and all departures and landings have been cancelled at the DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, near Washington DC.
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has confirmed American Airlines Flight 5342 operated by PSA Airlines collided mid-air with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter on its approach to the runway of the Reagan National Airport. A US Army official has confirmed to reporters that an Army Blackhawk was involved in the crash, and said it was on a training flight.
It happened in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over three miles south of the White House and the Capitol, reports the Mirror.
It is reported 18 bodies have already been pulled from the water so far and the death toll is all but certain to rise much higher. Earlier US Senator Ted Cruz has said: “While we don’t yet know how many on board were lost, we know there are fatalities.” It is uncertain if there have been any survivors.
NBC is reporting that an estimated 60 passengers and four crew were on the American Airlines passenger plane. They report it is split in two and is in about seven feet of water while the helicopter is upside down and not stable, bobbing up and down in the water where divers have not yet been able to make entry to it.
It is being reported that three US soldiers were on board the Blackhawk helicopter.
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation. The FBI has told reporters there is no indication of any criminality or terrorism in the crash at this stage.
A webcam at the Kennedy Center caught the moment the collision happened with a mid-air explosion across the Potomac River:
The airport said: “All takeoffs and landings have been halted at DCA. Emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open.”
The FAA said in a statement: “A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9pm local time. PSA was operating Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas.
“The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation. Will provide updates as information comes in.”
Sikorsky H-60s are a famous family of military helicopters built by Sikorsky Aircraft that includes the iconic Blackhawk and Seahawk.
US President Donald Trump’s press secretary has confirmed that a military helicopter collided with a regional jet near DCA airport and he has been briefed and will continue to monitor the situation.
She told reporters: “I can just say that the thoughts and the prayers of the entire Trump administration are with all those that are involved.”
In a later, fuller statement, Mr Trump said: “I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
And Vice President JD Vance said on Twitter: “Please say a prayer for everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport this evening. We’re monitoring the situation, but for now let’s hope for the best.”
And US Senator Ted Cruz appeared to confirm that people have died in the tragedy.
He tweeted: “I am closely monitoring the situation at DCA, and I will receive a briefing from the FAA tomorrow. While we don’t yet know how many on board were lost, we know there are fatalities. Please join Heidi and me in praying for all involved as the search and rescue is underway.”
A helicopter can be seen searching the river for victims in this video:
American Airlines said in a statement: “We’re aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been involved in an incident. We will provide information as it becomes available.”
In audio from the air traffic control tower around the time of the crash, a controller is heard asking the helicopter,: “PAT25 do you have the CRJ in sight,” in reference to the passenger aircraft.
“Tower did you see that?” another pilot is heard calling seconds after the apparent collision. The tower immediately began diverting other aircraft from Reagan.
The DC Police Department said: “MPD is responding to an apparent air crash in the Potomac River. Multiple agencies are responding.
“MPD’s helicopter is NOT involved in this incident and is currently assisting in the multi-agency response. A multi-agency search and rescue operation is underway in the Potomac River after aircraft crash. Updates to follow.”
There is a massive emergency services response at the scene with the aircraft believed to be down in the Potomac River. Victims have reportedly been found by a rescue boat.
Inflatable rescue boats were being launched into the Potomac River from a point near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport.
The DC Fire Department tweeted to say they believed the collision occurred around 9pm local time and a small aircraft has entered the water. Fireboats responded to the scene along with multiple agencies including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The DC Fire and EMS Department added: “Confirmed small aircraft down in Potomac River vicinity Reagan National Airport. Fireboats on scene.”
US Senator Jerry Moran shared an update via Twitter, stating: “Learning that a plane inbound from Kansas was involved in a crash at DCA. I am in contact with authorities. Please join me in praying for all involved.”
Multiple helicopters, including those from the US Park Police and the DC Metropolitan Police Department and US military, were flying over the scene of the incident in the Potomac River. DC Fire and EMS said fireboats were also on the scene.
Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to collide and form a fireball.
The airport said emergency personnel were responding to “an aircraft incident on the airfield.”
The incident follows the crash of an Air Florida flight in 1982 that plummeted into the Potomac, that killed 78 people. That crash was attributed to bad weather.
Investigators will now try to piece together the aircrafts’ final moments before their collision, including contact with air traffic controllers as well as a loss of altitude by the passenger jet.
American Airlines Flight 5342 was inbound to Reagan National 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.
The Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet, manufactured in 2004, can carry up to 70 passengers at a time.
A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National and the pilots said they were able to do so. 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 when both were over the middle of the river.
The US Army described the helicopter as a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. A crew of three soldiers were onboard the helicopter, an Army official said. They also confirmed that the helicopter was on a training flight.
The crash is serving as a major test for two of the Trump administration’s newest agency leaders. Pete Hegseth, who sworn in days ago as defense secretary, posted on social media that his department was “actively monitoring” the situation that involved an Army helicopter.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, also just sworn in earlier this week, said in a social media post that he was “at the FAA HQ and closely monitoring the situation.”
The airport was to remain closed until at least 5am Friday.
Located along the Potomac River, just southwest of the city, the airport is popular because it’s much closer than the larger Dulles International Airport, which is deeper in Virginia.
Depending on the runway being used, flights into Reagan can offer passengers spectacular views of landmarks like the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol on approach. It’s a postcard-worthy welcome for tourists visiting the city.
The last fatal crash involving a U.S. commercial airline occured in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. Sadly, everyone aboard the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane was killed, including 45 passengers, 2 pilots and 2 flight attendants. Another person on the ground also tragically died, bringing the total death toll to 50. An investigation determined that the captain accidentally caused the plane to stall as it approached the airport in Buffalo.
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