Washington, D.C. – A U.S. passenger jet carrying 64 people crashed into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night after a midair collision with a military helicopter. The crash prompted an urgent search-and-rescue operation in near-freezing waters.
The plane, a Bombardier regional jet operated by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, was on approach to Reagan National Airport around 9:00 p.m. (0200 GMT) after departing from Wichita, Kansas. American Airlines confirmed, “There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.”
Authorities have yet to confirm casualties. “There is no confirmed information on casualties at this time,” Washington police stated.
Search and Rescue Efforts Underway
Rescue teams, including divers and emergency personnel, were deployed to locate survivors amid challenging conditions. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser emphasized the urgency of the mission.
“We’re going to be out there as long as it takes… but we are going to recover our fellow citizens,” Bowser told reporters.
Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly described the operation as “extremely rough” and signaled that prospects of finding survivors remained uncertain.
“We will re-evaluate where we are with the rescue operation in the morning, when we get a better sense of it,” he said. “But we are still out there working, and we’re going to continue that throughout the night.”
Eyewitness Accounts
Ari Schulman, who was driving nearby, described seeing “a stream of sparks” in the sky.
“Initially, I saw the plane and it looked fine, normal. It was right about to head over land,” he told CNN. “Three seconds later… it was banked all the way to the right. I could see the underside of it, it was lit up a very bright yellow, and there was a stream of sparks underneath it. It looked like a Roman candle.”
Military Helicopter Involved
The other aircraft involved in the collision was a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter with three soldiers on board. Their status remains unknown. “They had been on a training flight,” a military spokesperson confirmed.
Trump Criticizes Air Traffic Control
Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the incident, first offering condolences. “May God bless their souls,” he said in an official statement. However, hours later, he took to Truth Social to criticize air traffic controllers.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing,” Trump wrote. “Why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn? Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane? This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
FAA Grounds Flights
In response to the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the temporary grounding of all flights at Reagan National Airport. The airport is expected to reopen at 11:00 a.m. (1600 GMT) on Thursday.
Investigation and Safety Concerns
The collision raises concerns over Washington’s busy airspace, which regularly accommodates commercial flights, military aircraft, and helicopters carrying government officials. Experts are questioning how a modern passenger jet equipped with collision-avoidance systems could crash into another aircraft near a major airport.
American Airlines CEO expressed “deep sorrow” over the incident, while U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas called the crash “nothing short of a nightmare.”
The incident evokes memories of past air disasters in Washington. In January 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge before plunging into the Potomac, killing 78 people. Investigators attributed that crash to pilot error and inadequate de-icing.
The last major fatal air accident in the U.S. occurred in 2009 when Continental Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people on board.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the latest crash.
