A tragic midair collision between a passenger plane and a U.S. Army helicopter occurred on Wednesday evening near Ronald Reagan National Airport, leading to a large-scale search-and-rescue operation in the Potomac River. The incident has resulted in multiple fatalities, though the exact number remains uncertain as rescue teams continue their efforts.
According to officials, the crash involved American Airlines Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ-701 regional plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, and a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, which was on a training flight. The collision happened around 9 p.m. EST as the jet was making its final approach to the airport. Flight tracking data indicated that the jet was descending at approximately 400 feet and traveling at 140 miles per hour before suffering a rapid loss of altitude over the river.
Emergency response teams, including law enforcement helicopters and inflatable rescue boats, quickly mobilized. Rescue personnel used searchlights and light towers to scan the river, while medical teams transported injured survivors to hospitals. Reports suggest that 90 individuals were taken to medical facilities, with 30 confirmed fatalities so far. Among the deceased, 25 have been identified, including passengers from Karnataka, Assam, and Gujarat.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigators are working to determine the cause of the accident. Air traffic control communications indicate that moments before the collision, the controller instructed the helicopter crew to allow the jet to pass. However, just seconds later, a fireball erupted in the sky, as seen in footage from a security camera at the Kennedy Center.
Weather conditions at the time of the crash included temperatures around 60 degrees Fahrenheit with wind gusts up to 25 mph. The Potomac River’s temperature was recorded at 36 degrees Fahrenheit, posing additional challenges for rescue operations.
Meanwhile President Donald Trump commented on Thursday morning that the midair collision between a US Army helicopter and American Airlines passenger plane was a “bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.”
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. 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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!” the president continued.
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Trump also expressed his condolences upon the Reagan Airport collision stating, “May God bless their souls.” Newly appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have both pledged immediate investigations into the tragedy.
The airport remains closed until 5 a.m. Friday as authorities continue recovery efforts. This disaster recalls the 1982 Air Florida crash into the Potomac, which claimed 78 lives. It also marks the most fatal U.S. commercial airline accident since 2009’s Buffalo crash, in which 50 people lost their lives.
