A devastating mid-air collision between a commercial airliner and a military helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington D.C. has resulted in a minimum of 28 deaths, as reported by authorities. The American Airlines jet, which was carrying 60 passengers and a crew of four, was in the final stages of landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport when the tragic incident took place. Rescue teams have now shifted their focus to recovery efforts, with little hope of finding any more survivors. If these numbers are confirmed, this would mark the deadliest air disaster in the United States in nearly 25 years.
The wreckage of the airliner was found in three separate sections, inverted in water that was waist-deep. The remains of the helicopter were also located. The cause of the collision, which took place on a Wednesday, is still under investigation, although the weather conditions were reported to be clear at the time. The jet, which had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying a mix of passengers, including U.S. and Russian figure skaters, and was in the process of a routine landing when the helicopter crossed its path.
American Airlines CEO, Robert Isom, confirmed that the collision with the military aircraft occurred during a standard approach to Reagan National. The reason why the military helicopter entered the commercial jet’s flight path remains a mystery. The helicopter was carrying three soldiers on a training mission at the time of the accident.
Images from the crash site showed boats surrounding a partially submerged wing and the twisted remains of the plane’s body. Among the passengers on the flight were a group of figure skaters, their coaches, and family members who were returning from a development camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the crash happened before 9 p.m. EST in one of the most closely monitored airspaces in the world, just over three miles south of the White House and the Capitol. The crash involved a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and a military helicopter on a training flight.
American Airlines Flight 5342 was at an altitude of about 400 feet and a speed of about 140 miles per hour when it experienced a sudden drop in altitude over the Potomac River. The aircraft, a Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet, was manufactured in 2004 and has a capacity of up to 70 passengers.
The collision took place on a warm winter evening in Washington, with temperatures reaching up to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The Potomac River was 36 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The National Weather Service reported that wind gusts of up to 25 mph were possible in the area throughout the evening.
Approximately 300 first responders were at the scene, deploying inflatable rescue boats into the Potomac River from a point along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport. The U.S. Army identified the helicopter as a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, which was on a training flight.
Reagan Airport was set to reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday, according to the FAA. The FAA had previously announced that the airport would be closed until 5 a.m. Friday.