A U.S. passenger plane carrying 64 people plunged into Washington, D.C.’s frigid Potomac River on Wednesday night after colliding midair with a military helicopter during a training exercise. The incident triggered a large-scale emergency response and led to the temporary suspension of all flights.
The aircraft was nearing its landing at Reagan National Airport after departing from Kansas when the collision occurred.
American Airlines confirmed that its subsidiary operated the flight, with 60 passengers and four crew members on board. The U.S. Army identified the helicopter as a Black Hawk carrying three soldiers, whose conditions remain unknown.
Authorities have not yet released official casualty figures. However, divers were seen entering the icy river as part of a major search and rescue operation. According to The Washington Post, unnamed sources reported that police had begun recovering bodies from the water.
Witness Ari Schulman described seeing “a stream of sparks” and an explosion resembling a firework as the collision unfolded above him. “At first, the plane looked normal, about to fly over land. But seconds later, it banked sharply to the right, glowing bright yellow with sparks trailing behind it,” Schulman told CNN.
President Donald Trump stated that he had been “fully briefed” on the situation and extended condolences to potential victims. However, just hours after the crash, he took to social media to criticize air traffic control, questioning why the helicopter did not maneuver to avoid the collision.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all flights at Reagan National Airport as multiple emergency agencies rushed to the scene. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the deployment of all available U.S. Coast Guard resources to aid in the search efforts.
Fireboats and dozens of emergency vehicles were mobilized, with operations complicated by the near-freezing temperatures and darkness.
The FAA confirmed that a Bombardier regional jet, operated by American Airlines’ subsidiary PSA Airlines, collided midair with a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk while approaching Reagan National around 9 p.m. The passenger plane had taken off from Wichita, Kansas.
Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas described the tragedy as “nothing short of a nightmare.” American Airlines’ CEO later released a video statement expressing deep sorrow over the incident.
The crash raises serious questions about aviation safety over Washington, D.C., a city known for its congested airspace. Reagan National Airport regularly handles low-altitude approaches over the city, while military, civilian, and government helicopters operate in the area at all hours.
The disaster brings back memories of the 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 crash, in which a Boeing 737 failed to gain altitude after takeoff from the same airport, striking a bridge and plunging into the frozen Potomac River, killing 78 people.
The last major fatal U.S. plane crash occurred in 2009 when Continental Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people on board.
ALSO READ : PRAZ Aims to Address Challenges Faced by Women and Marginalized Groups in Procurement
For comments, Feedback and Opinions do get in touch with our editor on WhatsApp: +44 7949 297606.