A jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.
There was no immediate word on casualties or the cause of the collision, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport were halted as helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a point along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport.
President Donald Trump said he had been B次元官网网址渇ully briefed on this terrible accidentB次元官网网址� and, referring to the passengers, added, B次元官网网址淢ay God Bless their souls.B次元官网网址�
The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair crash occurred around 9 p.m. EST when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military Blackhawk 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.
Investigators will try to piece together the aircraftsB次元官网网址� final moments before their collision, including contact with air traffic controllers as well as a loss of altitude by the passenger jet.
Webcam at the Kennedy Center caught an explosion mid-air across the Potomac.
B次元官网网址� Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews)
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 be configured to carry up to 70 passengers.
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.
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: B次元官网网址淧AT 25 pass behind the CRJ.B次元官网网址� Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
The planeB次元官网网址檚 radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river.
B次元官网网址 from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.
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 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The National Weather Service reported that wind gusts of up to 25 mph were possible in the area throughout the evening.
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The U.S. 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.
The crash is serving as a major test for two of the Trump administrationB次元官网网址檚 newest agency leaders. Pete Hegseth, sworn in days ago as defense secretary, posted on social media that his department was B次元官网网址渁ctively monitoringB次元官网网址� 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 B次元官网网址渁t the FAA HQ and closely monitoring the situation.B次元官网网址�
BREAKING: The passenger jet that collided with a helicopter had 60 passengers and 4 crew aboard, American Airlines says. Follow AP's live coverage
B次元官网网址� The Associated Press (@AP)
The airport was to remain closed until 5 a.m. Friday.
Located along the Potomac River, just southwest of the city. Reagan National is a popular choice because itB次元官网网址檚 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. ItB次元官网网址檚 a postcard-worthy welcome for tourists visiting the city.
The incident recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plummeted into the Potomac on January 13, 1982, that killed 78 people. That crash was attributed to bad weather.
The last fatal crash involving a U.S. commercial airline occured in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. 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 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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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Meg Kinnard and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.
Lolita C. Baldor, Tara Copp And Eric Tucker, The Associated Press
