A midair collision near Washington involved an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter, sparking a major rescue operation in the Potomac River.
Washington: A passenger jet with 60 people on board collided with a military helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport. This happened late Wednesday, and it led to a big search-and-rescue effort in the Potomac River.
Right after the crash, all flights were grounded as helicopters from various agencies searched for survivors. Thankfully, there’s no word on casualties yet.
The helicopter involved was a UH-60 Black Hawk from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and had three soldiers on board. They were on a training flight when the incident occurred.
John Cox, a former airline pilot, talked about how busy the skies are around D.C. He explained that it’s not uncommon for planes and helicopters to cross paths in that area.
About 300 first responders rushed to the scene. They launched inflatable rescue boats into the river and set up lights to help with the search. D.C. fire chief John Donnelly mentioned that the conditions were tough for the responders.
President Trump said he was briefed on the situation and expressed his condolences for the passengers involved. Among them were figure skaters returning from a camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
U.S. Figure Skating released a statement saying they were heartbroken over the tragedy and were thinking of the victims’ families. American Airlines’ CEO also expressed deep sorrow and emphasized the company’s focus on supporting everyone affected.
As investigators look into what happened, they’ll check the planes’ final moments and any communication with air traffic control. The American Airlines flight was coming in at about 120 meters high and 225 km/h when it suddenly lost altitude.
The Bombardier CRJ-701 jet, made in 2004, can hold up to 70 passengers. The FAA and NTSB are both investigating the incident, and American Airlines is cooperating fully.
Just before the crash, air traffic controllers had cleared the jet to land on a shorter runway. In the audio from the control tower, you can hear a controller asking if the helicopter saw the jet, and then another pilot asking if the tower saw the collision.
Video footage showed two lights that looked like aircraft merging into a fireball. The airport, which is usually busy, was eerily quiet as all flights were put on hold.
Military training flights are common in the D.C. area, and this isn’t the first time there’s been a serious incident. In 2023, two Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a training exercise, resulting in nine soldiers’ deaths.
Historically, the last major crash involving a U.S. commercial airline was in 2009, and it was a tragic event. The deadliest American Airlines crash this century happened in 2001, killing all 260 people on board.
In 1982, an Air Florida flight crashed into the Potomac, killing 78 people due to bad weather. It’s a reminder of how dangerous flying can be, even in familiar airspace.
