Reuters reported that on the evening of January 29, US time, a serious plane crash occurred near Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C., when an American Airlines plane collided with a US military Black Hawk helicopter. Both planes fell into the Potomac River.
Several bodies have been recovered from the river, according to The Washington Post. Texas Senator Ted Cruz said on social media that “we know there are fatalities,” although he did not specify how many.
An American Airlines source said the flight had 60 passengers, two pilots and two flight attendants. Meanwhile, the Black Hawk helicopter was carrying three US military personnel. This is the first serious accident involving a passenger plane in the US since 2009, although there have been several near misses in recent years that have raised concerns about aviation safety.
Four people were rescued after being pulled from the Potomac River, NBC reported. Video from a web camera at the Kennedy Center in Washington showed an explosion in the air over the Potomac River at around 8:47 p.m. local time, with a plane on fire before quickly falling.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that a PSA Airlines regional jet, operating American Airlines Flight 5342, collided with a helicopter while approaching Reagan National Airport. PSA Airlines operated the flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C.
Police said multiple agencies were involved in the search and rescue effort in the Potomac River area, which borders the airport. Dozens of police cars, ambulances and rescue boats were deployed along the river, while live TV footage showed boats moving through the water with red and blue lights flashing.
Reagan National Airport said all takeoffs and landings were suspended as emergency crews arrived at the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering more information about the incident.
American Airlines also confirmed the incident and said it would provide more information as more details become available. Over the past two years, a series of near misses have raised concerns about aviation safety and the shortage of human resources in air traffic control in the United States.
The crash has raised questions about aviation safety in the United States, especially since FAA chief Mike Whitaker resigned on January 20 and the Trump administration has yet to appoint a replacement.
The last major fatal accident in the US occurred in 2009, when a Colgan Air flight crashed in New York, killing 49 people.
