An American Airlines regional jet collided midair with a helicopter while landing at the Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, the Associated Press reported.
18 bodies have been recovered by search crews and no survivors have been found yet, reported CBS News.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the collision occurred around 9 pm ET when the regional jet, that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, smashed into the military Blackhawk helicopter while it was approaching the airport runway.
Sixty passengers and four crew members were on the American Airlines flight 5342, reported CBS News. Three US Army soldiers were onboard the Black Hawk Sikorsky H-60, an official told CBS.
The flight suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River, according to data from its radio transponder.
Ronald Reagan Airport has suspended all aircraft take-offs and landings in response to the incident at the airfield, the airport operator said in a post on X.
The Pentagon issued a statement confirming that the helicopter had departed from Fort Belvoir, Virginia. An official said the Army helicopter was on training flight, reported AP.
A search and rescue operation for survivors of the crash is ongoing near the Potomac river, with the DC fire department, police officials and the US Coast Guard involved. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser in a press conference said that the first responders were working in very “dark and cold conditions”.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed “deep sorrow” about the incident and said the airline is “cooperating fully” with the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
US President Donald Trump released a statement saying, I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
He later posted on TruthSocial and questioned why the plane had its lights blazing on a clear night and why the control tower did not tell the helicopter what to do.
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!” he said in his post.
Newly confirmed defence secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Pentagon is “actively monitoring” the situation. Transportation secretary Sean Duffy also stated that he had spoken to the President and the transport department was coordinating with the mayor and first responders to provide support.
US Senator Ted Cruz said there were fatalities in the crash, but it remains unclear how many people were onboard. “While we don’t yet know how many on board were lost, we know there are fatalities,” Cruz wrote on X.
