WASHINGTON, DC (Agencies): A tragic midair collision occurred near Reagan National Airport outside Washington, DC, involving American Airlines Flight 5342 and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter. The passenger aircraft, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, collided with the helicopter during its approach to the runway. Rescue operations are ongoing, but no survivors have been found yet. The plane is in pieces in the Potomac River, and the helicopter is nearby in the water. The crash has resulted in confirmed fatalities, and all takeoffs and landings at Reagan National Airport have been halted. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident.
American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was en route to Reagan National Airport. The aircraft involved was a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet. The helicopter, a UH-60 Black Hawk operated by the United States Army, was based out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and was on a training flight with three soldiers on board. The collision occurred around 9:47 p.m. local time, with the wreckage falling into the Potomac River. Emergency response teams, including police, ambulances, and rescue units, were quickly mobilized.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing unusual bangs and seeing an explosion mid-air, with some capturing video of the moment of impact. Multiple agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Department and the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, are involved in the search-and-rescue operation. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser offered prayers to everyone involved and assured the public that updates would be provided as more information becomes available.
This incident marks the first fatal accident involving a Bombardier CRJ700 series and the first major accident involving a civilian airliner in the United States since 2009.
- Search and rescue operation is becoming more grim, with no survivors recovered so far, source says
The search and rescue operation for survivors of Wednesday’s plane collision is becoming more grim, according to a law enforcement source.
The source described images from rescuers as “stunning,” saying it was hard to make out what they were seeing. The plane, they said, was in several pieces.
Two law enforcement sources and a source familiar with the situation confirm that no survivors had been recovered at this point.
Officials are preparing for this to be the deadliest disaster in DC in decades since an Air Florida Flight crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, connecting Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, DC, in 1982, according to the source.
Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser will be part of the 12:30 a.m. presser, her team says.