A midair collision between a PSA Airlines jet (operating as flight 5342 for American Airlines) and a helicopter caused the plane to plunge into the Potomac River near DC. The incident occurred as flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, was making its approach to runway 33 at Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Kristi Noem, the secretary of Homeland Security said, “We are deploying every available US Coast Guard resource for search and rescue efforts in this horrific incident at DCA. We are actively monitoring the situation & stand ready to support local responders. Praying for the victims and first responders.”
The crash can be seen in the video below.
🚨#BREAKING: A significant emergency response is underway, and a mass casualty has been declared after an American Airlines jet collided with a D.C. Police helicopter in a possible midair collision.
📌#Washington | #DC
Currently, a significant emergency response is underway in… pic.twitter.com/yR5GYGocQr
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 30, 2025
The Federal Aviation Administration suspended all takeoffs and landings at the major Washington-area hub, disrupting air traffic in one of the country’s busiest corridors. Ronald Regan airport is very, very close to the Pentagon as well as other highly sensitive parts of the federal government. It’s been reported by the New York Times that the helicopter involved was an Army Black Hawk which was flying with a crew of three at the time and no senior Army officials were onboard.
Bombardier CRJ700 jets have around 65 seats depending on the exact configuration and it’s believed there were two flight attendants on board.
The last fatal commercial airlines plane crash in the US was Colgan Air Flight 3407 in 2009 just outside of Buffalo, NY.
