A massive emergency response remains on scene of an aircraft crash in the water near Reagan National Airport.
A military helicopter and a regional jet with 64 people on board collided mid-air Wednesday night. Video from the Kennedy Center webcam showed a fiery collision, over the Potomac River.
Fire boats and at least three helicopters were used to search for victims in the frigid river. The incident was quickly deemed a mass casualty incident.
At least 28 bodies have been pulled from the river as of Thursday morning and officials believe there are no survivors. That would make this the deadliest U.S. air crash since 2001.
Webcam at the Kennedy Center caught an explosion mid-air across the Potomac. https://t.co/v75sxitpH6 pic.twitter.com/HInYdhBYs5
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) January 30, 2025
The Metropolitan Police Department said Wednesday that a “multi-agency search and rescue operation is underway in the Potomac River” after the crash. Numerous Arlington first responders are among those dispatched to the scene.
The crash happened around 8:50 p.m. In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said preliminary information indicates that a CRJ700 regional jet collided with a Sikorsky H-60 military helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at National Airport.
The FAA confirmed that American Airlines Flight 5342, traveling from Wichita, Kansas to DCA, was the downed jet.
“The FAA and NTSB will investigate,” the FAA said. “The NTSB will lead the investigation.”
The FBI says there “is no indication of any criminality or terrorism in the crash,” NBC News reported.
The helicopter was an Army Black Hawk with three people on board. The military said in a subsequent statement that the helicopter was from Fort Belvoir and was on a training mission.
President Donald Trump suggested at a White House press conference that it’s likely one of the aircraft was at the incorrect elevation at the time of the crash, which occurred around where a DCA landing flight path and a low-elevation helicopter flight path overlap.
At an afternoon press conference, the National Transportation Safety Board described the investigation, now getting fully underway, “a whole of government effort.” A preliminary report about the cause is expected within 30 days, but officials declined to speculate on a cause today.
Just before the NTSB press conference, the New York Times reported that staffing at the DCA tower Wednesday night was “not normal,” with one controller handling both helicopters and landing planes rather than the usual two.
News outlets have reported that many of the passengers on board the plane were figure skaters and family members returning from an event in Wichita. Some were from the D.C. area, while others were planning to take connecting flights elsewhere.
Entrances to the airport, including the bridge from the GW Parkway to the airport, were closed to the general public Wednesday night. There was a heavy police presence along the Parkway and cars parked along the side of the road are being towed.
“[Daingerfield] Island and Gravelly Point remain closed for response efforts at the Potomac River,” U.S. Park Police said Thursday. “Pedestrians also need to avoid these areas and follow police direction. USPP is asking drivers to avoid stopping on the side of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.”
Families of passengers and local officials gathered at the airport. Flights to and from DCA were cancelled until 11 a.m. Friday morning.
“We’re in a rescue mode,” Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter said early Thursday morning. “We will continue in rescue mode. Everybody is on site doing the best they can.”
Newly-appointed Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said changes in flight paths are possible following the investigation into the cause of the crash.
With a total ground stop at the airport, flights inbound to DCA were diverted, including to Dulles International. Metro ran extra Silver Line trains from Dulles, in response.
The transit agency “has sent warming buses to support rescue and we are working to assist [Dulles with] diverted flights by running extra Silver Line trains & to keep Silver open later to get people downtown,” WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke said.
In air traffic control audio posted online, the DCA tower can be heard communicating with the helicopter. Apparent gasps could be heard from the tower as the crash happened.
“It is a tragic night in [Arlington], our nation’s capital and our region,” Arlington County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said in a brief statement. “We pray for the crew, passengers, and all victims and their families. We are responding with all means at our disposal in close coordination with our regional neighbors — our first priority is to save lives.”
It was 43 years ago this month that Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the icy Potomac shortly after departure, after striking the 14th Street Bridge. The U.S. Park Police Eagle 1 helicopter, famed for daring rescues following that crash, is among the helicopters involved in the rescue operation tonight.
Before the Air Florida crash, there was another mid-air collision involving a passenger plane and a military aircraft. On Nov. 1, 1949, all 55 people aboard an Eastern Air Lines DC-4 aircraft died after a midair collision with a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft being test-flown by a Bolivian Air Force officer on an acceptance flight.
We’re aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been involved in an incident. We will provide information as it becomes available.
— americanair (@AmericanAir) January 30, 2025
Vernon Miles, Jared Serre, James Jarvis and Scott McCaffrey contributed to this report
