A passenger plane with 64 individuals on board has tragically crashed into a river in Washington DC after colliding mid-air with a US Army helicopter. The rescue teams have recovered 18 bodies from the icy waters of the Potomac River, according to CBS.
In response to the incident, US authorities have launched an investigation, and all flights at the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport have been suspended.
The collision occurred around 21:00 local time on Wednesday, involving a PSA Airlines jet operating as American Airlines 5342, which was approaching the airport after departing from Wichita, Kansas. The helicopter, a Sikorsky H-60, was carrying three US soldiers and had taken off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
The Federal Aviation Administration, along with the National Transportation Safety Board, will be investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
During a press conference, Washington DC officials refrained from confirming casualty reports, emphasizing their commitment to the ongoing rescue operations, although CBS has shown that 18 bodies have been recovered.
Initial reports from US media show that a passenger plane was observed split in two on the Potomac River, while a helicopter was found overturned in the water.
Washington DC Fire and Emergency Services Chief John Donnelly said that approximately 300 responders on rubber boats have been dispatched to search for any survivors.
Witness Ari Schulman recounted to NBC Washington that he witnessed the plane's crash while driving along the George Washington Parkway, which is adjacent to the airport.
He said that the plane's approach appeared normal until it sharply banked to the right, producing "streams of sparks" beneath it, which illuminated the aircraft's underside. At that moment, he recognized that something was seriously amiss, as the visibility of the plane's underside in the dark was not typical based on his previous observations of landings at that location.
The sparks, he described, resembled a "giant roman candle" extending from the nose to the tail of the plane. Another witness, Jimmy Mazeo, reported seeing the crash while dining with his girlfriend at a nearby park, recalling a white flare in the sky and noting that planes approaching Ronald Reagan Airport seemed to be flying in "zigzag patterns" .
President Donald Trump said that he had been fully briefed on the terrible accident and was closely monitoring the situation about how the issue occurred.
-No survivors expected in American Airlines and Military helicopter collision.
An American Airlines regional jet tragically crashed into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after colliding with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, with authorities indicating that no survivors are anticipated due to the harsh cold and windy conditions.
The aircraft, which had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying sixty-four individuals, including sixty passengers and four crew members, when the incident occurred around 9 p.m. during its approach to the airport.
Following the collision, which involved a military helicopter conducting a training exercise, officials have transitioned from a rescue operation to a recovery effort, confirming that twenty-eight bodies have been retrieved from the river, comprising twenty-seven from the flight and one from the helicopter.
The frigid water temperatures, recorded at just 42 degrees, have severely limited survival time for anyone submerged, prompting a significant response from over 300 emergency personnel, including divers, in the early hours of Thursday.
Among those on board flight 5342 were several members of the U.S. Figure Skating community, as confirmed by the organization.
The organization announced that athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the 2025 National Development Team Camp, which took place concurrently with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.
According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, two Russian figure skaters and former world champions, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were among those on the flight back.
Shishkova and Naumov secured the pairs title at the 1994 world championships and have competed in the Winter Olympics on two occasions. They are also married and have served as professional pairs coaches at the Skating Club of Boston, as noted on the organization’s website.