Thursday, January 30, 2025 - 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 travelling 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.
Watch the video below
A plane and a helicopter collided mid-air near DCA airport in Washington DC. Initial reports indicate that the plane, AA5342, crashed into the Potomac River. Flight tracking data shows the plane did not reach the runway and was last recorded over the river. pic.twitter.com/08EMyJbmoL
— Art Network USA (@ArtNetworkUSA) January 30, 2025
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