A view of emergency response looking from Arlington, Va., south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, across the Potomac River toward the District of Columbia, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.
Alex Brandon | AP
An American Airlines regional jet with 64 people aboard collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter near Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jetliner collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while the passenger jet was on approach around 9 p.m. ET to Runway 33 at the airport, the FAA said. Flight 5342 was arriving from Wichita, Kansas.
Sixty passengers and four crew members were on board the American flight, according to a person familiar with the details.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
A view of emergency response looking from Arlington, Va., south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, across the Potomac River toward the District of Columbia, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.
Alex Brandon | AP
Local officials confirmed that at least one aircraft was in the Potomac River. Images on social media showed a large presence of emergency responders. Reagan Washington National was closed Wednesday night, the FAA said.
American Airlines posted on X that it was aware of the incident and would provide information as it became available. President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident, the White House press office said in a statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the incident.
It was not immediately clear if there were casualties. The U.S. has had a long stretch without fatal commercial airline crashes. The last U.S. commercial passenger airline crash occurred in February 2009 as Continental Flight 3407 crashed into a house as it was arriving in Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people aboard and one person on the ground.
The crash of the turboprop plane prompted federal regulations requiring more rest and training for pilots.
PSA Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
