American Airlines jet, Army helicopter collide, crash into Potomac River

30/1/2025 15:12

An American Airlines regional passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the frigid Potomac River after a midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, officials said.



Officials did not provide a death toll from the collision. But U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, where the flight originated, suggested that all on board died, saying at a news conference at Reagan airport early Thursday that "it's really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously."



Jack Potter, the president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, emphasized at the same news conference that first responders were in "rescue mode."



CBS News had reported that at least 18 bodies had been recovered, citing a police official. Two sources told Reuters multiple bodies had been pulled from the water.



American Airlines confirmed that 64 people were aboard the jet: 60 passengers and four crew members. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter, which was on a training flight, a U.S. official said.



The midair collision occurred as the passenger jet en route from Wichita, Kansas was on approach to land at Reagan. Radio communications between the air traffic control tower and the Black Hawk show that the helicopter crew were aware that the plane was in the nearby vicinity.



The Pentagon said it was launching an immediate investigation into the incident, which President Donald Trump appeared to blame on the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers in a post on Truth Social.