More than 60 people are feared dead following a tragic mid-air collision between a regional American Airlines passenger plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday. The crash occurred over the frigid Potomac River, near Washington’s Reagan National Airport.
“We do not expect any survivors at this point,” District of Columbia Fire Chief John Donnelly stated during a press briefing on Thursday. He added that 28 bodies had been recovered so far, making it one of the deadliest U.S. air disasters in more than a decade. “We will continue searching to recover all bodies and reunite them with their families,” Donnelly said.
The American Airlines jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was en route from Wichita, Kansas, and had been approaching Reagan National Airport when the collision took place. The U.S. Army helicopter, which was on a training mission, had three soldiers on board.
Among the passengers on the flight were ice skaters, coaches, and family members returning from events in Wichita, including Russian-born world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
Emergency responders worked overnight, and a dive team successfully recovered one of the two black boxes from the aircraft. Investigators are piecing together details from the crash, which occurred as the jet was descending for landing. Communications between air traffic control and the helicopter indicated that the Army crew was aware of the approaching jet.
Both the helicopter and the passenger plane had been operating within standard flight patterns, and there was no apparent breakdown in communication, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “Everything was standard leading up to the crash,” he said. “Could this have been prevented? Absolutely.”
The U.S. capital region’s airspace is often congested, with multiple commercial and military airports in close proximity. Concerns have been raised about the crowded runways at Reagan National Airport, which sits just across the river from Washington.
The Pentagon has announced an investigation into the crash.
In a statement on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump questioned the actions of both the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers, calling the incident preventable.
American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, was a Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jet. The plane’s pilot, with approximately six years of flying experience, was in communication with air traffic controllers during the final moments before the crash.
Air traffic control recordings captured the last attempts to communicate with the helicopter, call sign PAT25, before the collision. Seconds later, another aircraft was heard commenting on the incident, and air traffic control redirected other planes away from the crash site.
Video footage of the crash showed an explosion lighting up the night sky, with one observer describing it as a “fireball” before the wreckage disappeared into the river.
Emergency responders continue to search the waters for victims. According to AccuWeather, the cold and windy conditions made the rescue operation extremely difficult. “At these temperatures, hypothermia can set in within minutes,” said Dan DePodwin, Senior Director of Forecast Operations.
The crash mirrors the devastating 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 disaster, which also occurred over the Potomac River and killed 74 people. The last major fatal crash involving a commercial airliner in the U.S. occurred in 2009, when a Colgan Air flight crashed in New York, claiming the lives of all 49 people on board.
This latest tragedy has sent shockwaves through the aviation community, and the investigation is ongoing.
