No Expected Survivors After Mid-Air Collision Between Passenger Plane and Army Helicopter in D.C.
There are no expected survivors after American Airlines Eagle Flight 5342 collided with a UH-60 U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
The Canadair Regional Jet 700 (CRJ700), operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. It had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, and was impacted as it approached the airport to land. Three soldiers were onboard the military helicopter, according to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
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In a press conference held this morning, Bowser, local authorities, and national leaders offered an update on the situation. Bowser acknowledged that the nation’s capital is grieving along with families in Kansas and across the country. “This morning we all share a profound sense of grief,” she said.
D.C. fire and EMS chief John Donnelly confirmed it is unlikely that there are any survivors. “We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” he said. “At this point we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident, and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter.”
The collision took place shortly before 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday night. Around 300 rescue workers have been involved in the recovery efforts since, although they are facing challenging conditions with cold temperatures and a lack of light over the river. The FBI’s Washington Field Office dive team is assisting with the efforts, according to CNN. Last night, Donnelly said that conditions are “dangerous” and search-and-rescue will likely take several days.
“The challenges are access,” Donnelly said. “The water that we’re operating in is about 8 feet deep, there is wind, there is pieces of ice out there so it’s just dangerous and hard to work in. The water is dark, it is murky, and that is a very tough condition for them to dive in.”
This morning he added, “The recovery operation goes on. It’s a lot of touch and feel in the different parts of the plane and the helicopter, and the crash area is a little spread out. So we’ve got some work to do.”
Donnelley said he believes the search teams will be able to recover all of the bodies. “I’m confident that we will do that,” he told reporters. “It will take us a little bit of time. It may involve some more equipment.”
U.S. Figure Skating confirmed in a statement that “several members of our skating community” were onboard the passenger flight.
“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the national development camp held in conjunction with the US figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas,” the organization said. “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin in Moscow, confirmed that former world champion Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among the passengers.
“Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed,” Peskov said, per the Associated Press. “There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash.”
Following the crash, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall said in a statement, “Tonight, we received devastating news of what can only be described as nothing short of a nightmare. A plane, traveling to the Nation’s capital from Wichita, KS carrying roughly 60 passengers collided with a Military helicopter. My prayer is that God wraps his arms around each and every victim, and that he continues to be with their families.”
During the news conference on Wednesday night, Marshall noted, “When one person dies, it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it’s an unbearable sorrow. It’s a heartbreak beyond measure.”
President Donald Trump responded to the crash in a post on Truth Social, calling the incident “not good” and declaring it a “terrible night.”
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” he wrote on the social media platform. “The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a clear night, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.”
A cause for the collision has yet to be determined. Trump’s defense secretary Pete Hegseth said on X that an investigation will be “launched immediately” by the Army and the Department of Defense. “Absolutely tragic,” he wrote. “Search and rescue efforts still ongoing. Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families.”
The Associated Press reports that prior to landing, air traffic controllers asked the American Airlines flight if it could land on Reagan’s shorter Runway 33 and the pilots agreed to do so. After it was cleared to land, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter, which was on a training flight, if it had the jet in sight and then made a second call to the helicopter instructing it to pass behind the plane.
Audio from air traffic control was obtained by Reuters via LiveATC.net, a source for in-flight recording. One controller can be heard saying “Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three” at the time of the collision. Another added, “Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river. It was probably out in the middle of 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.”
Incoming flights were subsequently rerouted to the nearby Dulles International Airport. Reagan Airport will reopen at 11 a.m. ET today, according to Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority president Jack Potter.
This morning, Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation, confirmed that both the American Airlines plane and the Black Hawk were in a standard flight pattern. He said both aircrafts have been located, with the jet broken into three sections in waist-deep water. “Safety is our expectation,” Duffy said. “That didn’t happen last night.” He added that the Trump administration would “not rest” until they had answers.
When asked if it is safe for travelers to resume flying, Duffy responded, “Can I guarantee the American flying public that the US has the most safe and secure airspace in the world? And the answer to that is absolutely yes, we do. We have early indicators of what happened here, and I will tell you with complete confidence, we have the safest airspace in the world.”
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom released a statement on Wednesday night. “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.” This morning he added that the airline’s focus was on supporting all of those involved. Isom called the incident “devastating,” adding, “We’re absolutely heartbroken for the family and loved ones of the passengers and crew members.”
Fatal commercial aircraft crashes are unusual in the U.S. The most recent deadly crash occurred in 2009 when a Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane crashed into a house near Buffalo, killing 45 passengers, four crew members, and one person on the ground. In 1982, an Air Florida flight departing out of the now-Reagan Airport also crashed into the Potomac River, resulting in the deaths of 78 people.
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