According to officials, a mid-air accident at Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night sent a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional passenger jet into the Potomac River.
According to a police officer cited by US-based CBS News, at least 18 dead have been found. According to the official, no survivors have been located thus far.
According to authorities cited by the Washington Post, several bodies had been recovered from the sea. According to the publication, no survivors have been located as of yet. On social media, Texas Senator Ted Cruz stated that “we know there are fatalities,” but he did not specify the number.
Sixty passengers and four crew members made up the 64 passengers on board, according to American Airlines. According to a U.S. official, the helicopter carried three soldiers.
In search of additional information, a few passengers’ friends, family, and relatives gathered at Reagan Washington National.
In apparent reference to a passenger on the downed aircraft, one woman said to an airport official, “I don’t know if she got on there or not.” Then she broke down in sobs.
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport,” US President Donald Trump stated in a statement. He continued, “May God bless their souls.”
“We appreciate the amazing work that our first responders are doing. I’m keeping an eye on things and will update you as new information becomes available.
“We can confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight’s incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia,” the US Army stated in a statement. We are collaborating with local authorities and will furnish further details as they become accessible.
A number of near-miss accidents in recent years have prompted major safety concerns, although there hasn’t been a fatal passenger aviation accident in the United States since February 2009.
Around 9:47 p.m. (7:47 p.m. PKT), a webcam view from the Kennedy Center in Washington captured an explosion in midair across the Potomac, with a burning airplane plummeting quickly.
According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, the helicopter was approaching Reagan when a PSA Airlines CRJ700 regional plane struck it in midair. According to the FAA, PSA was flying American Airlines Flight 5342, which had taken off from Wichita, Kansas.
According to police, a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River, which runs alongside the airport, involving several organizations.
Numerous police, medical, and rescue teams, along with several ferrying boats, set up shop along the river and hurried to their posts around Reagan Airport’s tarmac. Several boats were visible in the water with flashing red and blue lights in live television photos.
As emergency workers responded to an aviation problem late Wednesday, the airport announced that all takeoffs and landings had been suspended.
Observe As he drove home, Ari Schulman reported seeing “a stream of sparks” and what appeared to be a huge firework when the nocturnal collision burst overhead.
“When I first viewed the plane, it appeared normal and in good condition. He told CNN, “It was about to head over land.”
Finally, three seconds later, it was banked all the way to the right. It was illuminated a bright yellow, and I could see the underbelly of it. Below it, there was a shower of sparks,” Schulman continued. “I thought it was a Roman candle.”
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, additional information on the incident is being gathered.
“We are 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,” the airline posted on social media.
Concerns over US aviation safety and the burden on understaffed air traffic control operations have been raised by a number of near-miss occurrences over the past two years.
Following FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker’s resignation on January 20, the Trump administration has yet to appoint a successor or even reveal the interim leader of the agency.
In 2009, a Colgan Air flight crashed in New York state, killing all 49 people on board. This was the last significant fatal incident involving a commercial airplane in the United States. On the ground, one individual also lost their life.