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American Airlines jet crashes after midair collision with military helicopter near Washington DC Rescuers search Washington DC river after plane collides with military helicopter
(about 4 hours later)
Rescuers search Potomac river after flight from Kansas with 64 onboard collides with Black Hawk helicopter while coming in to land Nineteen bodies reportedly recovered so far after American Airlines flight collides in midair with Black Hawk helicopter
A regional American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members has crashed after a midair collision with a US army Black Hawk helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan national airport near Washington DC, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the Potomac river. Rescuers are scouring the Potomac River in Washington DC after an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with a US army Black Hawk helicopter with three soldiers onboard while attempting to land at Ronald Reagan airport.
All takeoffs and landings from the airport near the capital were halted as helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter, a US official said. Multiple bodies have been pulled from the Potomac, according to media reports. US senator Ted Cruz said “we know there are fatalities” but did not provide further details. All takeoffs and landings from the airport near the capital were halted as helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. According to media reports, rescuers have recovered 19 bodies from the river so far, while divers have found one of the plane’s two data recorders, known as black boxes.
The helicopter involved in the crash was participating in a training flight, NBC and Reuters reported. “We can confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight’s incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir during a training flight,” a military official told NBC, adding that it would provide more details once available. Among the passengers on the plane were athletes coaches, and family members associated with the US figure skating program, its governing body confirmed, who were returning from attending a national development camp held in conjunction with the US figure skating championships.
President Donald Trump said in a statement that he had been “fully briefed on this terrible accident” and, referring to the passengers, “May God Bless their souls.” He subsequently added in a social media post that the crash “should have been prevented”. The military helicopter was participating in a training flight, NBC and Reuters reported. “We can confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight’s incident was an army UH-60 helicopter from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison army airfield, Fort Belvoir, during a training flight,” a military official told NBC, adding more details would be provided once available.
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said “every available” coast guard resource has been deployed to help with rescue efforts. Donald Trump said in a statement that he had been “fully briefed on this terrible accident” and, referring to the passengers, added: “May God bless their souls.” In a subsequent social media post, the president said the crash “should have been prevented”.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair crash occurred around 9pm when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, collided with the military helicopter while on approach to an airport runway. It occurred 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. The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, said “every available” US Coast Guard resource had been deployed to help with rescue efforts. About 300 first responders were reportedly working on the rescue operation.
Investigators will 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. The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair crash occurred at about 9pm on Wednesday when American Airlines flight 5342 – a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas – collided with the helicopter while on approach to an airport runway. The collision took place 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.
American Airlines flight 5342 was inbound to Reagan National at an altitude of about 400 feet and a speed of about 140 miles an 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 was manufactured in 2004 and can be configured to carry up to 70 passengers. The Kremlin expressed its condolences after it emerged that the Russian figure skating couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the 1994 world pairs title and who lived in the US, were on the plane.
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. Controllers then cleared the plane to land on runway 33. Flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway. Flight 5342 was inbound to Ronald Reagan national airport at an altitude of about 400ft and a speed of about 140mph when there was 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 was manufactured in 2004 and can be configured to carry up to 70 passengers.
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asks the helicopter if it has the arriving plane in sight. The controller makes another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.” Seconds after that the two aircraft collide. Audio from LiveATC.net, a respected source for in-flight recording, captured the final communications between the three crew members of the helicopter – call sign PAT25 – before it collided with the plane. 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. The crash was witnessed by another plane, whose crew called in to the control tower, saying: “Tower, did you see that?”
One of the air traffic controllers can be heard saying: “Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three.” Another controller then said: “Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river … I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit.”
The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400ft short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river. The Potomac River is about 8ft deep where the aircraft crashed.
The tower immediately began diverting other aircraft from Reagan.The tower immediately began diverting other aircraft from Reagan.
Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom released a statement providing a toll free numbers for relatives who believe they may have lost ones one on board the flight. Robert Isom, the chief executive of American Airlines, released a statement providing a phone number for relatives who believed they may have lost ones one onboard the flight. “Our concern is for the passengers and crew onboard the aircraft,” he said. “We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts.”
“Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft,” he said. “We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts.” On 13 January 1982, an Air Florida flight plummeted into the Potomac, killing 78 people in a crash attributed to bad weather.
The crash is serving as a major test for two of the Trump administration’s newest agency leaders. Pete Hegseth, 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, 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 last fatal crash involving a US commercial airline occurred in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. Everyone onboard the Bombardier propeller plane was killed, including 45 passengers, two pilots and two flight attendants. Another person on the ground also 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.
Reagan National is located along the Potomac river, just south-west of the city. It’s a popular choice because it’s much closer than the larger Dulles international airport, which is deeper in Virginia.
Erie county executive Mark Poloncarz was waiting to catch his flight back to Buffalo, New York, when he saw through the terminal window some emergency vehicles moving out below.
“When flights get delayed, people get aggravated and upset. But there was no one getting aggravated or upset because I think we all realized pretty quickly the magnitude of what occurred,” he said.
“The terminal grew pretty quiet. There was a lot of sadness.”
The incident recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plummeted into the Potomac on 13 January 1982, killing 78 people. That crash was attributed to bad weather.
The last fatal crash involving a US commercial airline occurred in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. Everyone aboard the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane was killed, including 45 passengers, two pilots and two flight attendants. Another person on the ground also 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.
Associated Press and Reuters contributed reportingAssociated Press and Reuters contributed reporting