A US passenger plane carrying 64 people crashed into Washington’s Potomac River on Wednesday night, January 29, after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport, prompting a major emergency response.
Flight 5342, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet operating for American Airlines travellingling from Wichita, Kan., collided with the military chopper while approaching Runway 33 at the Washington airport around 9 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
About 300 first responders and divers are part of an active search of the Potomac, which is a perilous 35 degrees for the 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the American Airlines flight and the three soldiers travelling in the military chopper, with first responders recovering the remains of at least 18 people, according to CBS News.
No survivors have been found, the outlet added.
Officials did not confirm the recovery of any passengers on either aircraft at a press conference early Thursday morning.
“Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft,” American Airlines told The Post in a statement.
“We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts.”
The Army UH-60 helicopter involved in the crash was based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, according to the Army and Pentagon, with the flight reportedly a training exercise, Fox News reported.
The military chopper, which can carry 15 people, was not transporting any VIPs, a defence official told CNN.
Earthcam footage from the Kennedy Center about five miles north captured what appeared to be a fireball erupting in the sky during the mid-air explosion.
Audio from Air Traffic Control captured the moment the flight safety agency reported the horrific mid-air collision — just minutes before the American Airlines flight was cleared to land.
“It was probably out in the middle river. I just saw a fireball and then it was gone,” the air traffic controller can be heard saying on audio shared on X.
“I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was CRJ and a helicopter that hit, I would say, maybe a half mile off the approach into 33,” the controller says in a call to Fire Command.
Fireboats quickly responded to the Potomac River, DC Fire and EMS Department officials said, with a “large amount of debris in the water” and a “casualty collection point” near the Metropolitan Police Department’s hanger where it houses its helicopter,” according to emergency dispatchers.
“It’s a highly complex operation,” DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said during the press conference. “The conditions out there are extremely rough for the first responders, it’s cold, they’re dealing with windy conditions.”
The water where divers are searching for victims is “about 8 feet deep.
There is wind. There are pieces of ice out there. So it’s just dangerous and hard to work in,” Donnelly added.
The American Airlines plane reportedly split in two and remains upside down and unstable as it floats in 7 feet of water near the shore of Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, NBC 4 reported, citing sources.
Divers have yet to make entry into the helicopter due to a lack of stability, the outlet reported.
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls,” President Trump said in a statement.
