Rescue teams are searching for survivors after an American Airlines plane carrying 64 people collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, DC.
Officials fear there are no survivors as both aircraft crashed into the icy waters of the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Emergency boats and divers are working under difficult conditions to recover bodies and wreckage.
“This is a highly complex operation,” said DC Fire Chief John Donnelly. “The conditions are extremely rough for responders.”
What Happened?
The collision occurred around 9pm local time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday. The American Eagle flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ, was approaching Reagan Airport from Wichita, Kansas, when it struck a Black Hawk helicopter conducting a training flight.
An air traffic controller had asked the helicopter crew if they had visual contact with the plane moments before the crash. “Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three,” a controller was heard saying.
Eyewitnesses described a fireball lighting up the night sky before the wreckage plunged into the river.
Victims and Survivors
The American Airlines flight had 60 passengers and four crew members on board. Among them were several US figure skaters and coaches returning from a competition.
CBS News reported that at least 30 bodies had been recovered so far. The three soldiers on board the helicopter were also presumed dead.
Russian state media confirmed that former figure skating world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among those killed. The Kremlin expressed condolences, calling it a “tragic loss.”
US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, the plane’s departure state, said: “It’s really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously.”
Challenging Rescue Efforts
With temperatures near freezing, hypothermia is a major risk for any survivors. “At these frigid water temperatures, exhaustion or unconsciousness can occur in as little as 15 to 30 minutes,” said Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather’s senior director.
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority CEO John Potter announced the airport would remain closed until at least 11am local time (16:00 GMT).
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that an investigation had begun immediately. “We need answers, and we need them quickly,” he said.
President Donald Trump called the crash a “tragedy of terrible proportions” and raised questions about the actions of the helicopter pilot. “Why didn’t the helicopter go up or down or turn? It’s a CLEAR NIGHT,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Aviation safety expert Todd Curtis called the crash “highly unusual.” “This airport is one of the busiest in the country, and air traffic control is extremely well managed,” he said. “Something must have gone very wrong.”
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