A passenger jet carrying 64 people crashed into Washington’s Potomac River on Wednesday night after a midair collision with a military helicopter. Multiple bodies have been recovered from the near-freezing waters, according to U.S. media reports.
The plane, a Bombardier regional jet operated by PSA Airlines, an American Airlines subsidiary, was approaching Reagan National Airport around 9:00 PM (0200 GMT) after departing from Wichita, Kansas, when the crash occurred.
“There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft,” PSA Airlines confirmed in a statement.
According to CBS News, at least 18 bodies have been recovered, while NBC reported more than a dozen. The Washington Post, citing a statement from U.S. Figure Skating, reported that several athletes, coaches, and officials were among the passengers.
A U.S. Army official confirmed that the helicopter involved was a Black Hawk carrying three soldiers. Their status remains unknown. A military spokesperson stated that they had been on a “training flight.”
Search and Rescue Efforts
Rescue teams launched a massive search operation, with divers scouring the wreckage under bright floodlights.
“We’re going to be out there as long as it takes, and we’re obviously trying to get to people as soon as possible, but we are going to recover our fellow citizens,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly described the conditions as “extremely rough,” with about 300 emergency responders working at the scene.
“We will re-evaluate where we are with the rescue operation in the morning, when we get a better sense of it,” Donnelly said. “But we are still out there working, and we’re going to continue that throughout the night.”
Eyewitness Ari Schulman was driving home when he saw what he described as “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,” Schulman told CNN. “Three seconds later, and at that point, 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,” he added.
Trump Criticizes Air Traffic Control
President Donald Trump issued an official statement saying he had been “fully briefed” on the situation and added, “May God bless their souls.”
However, less than four hours after the crash—while officials were still gathering information—he took to social media to criticize air traffic control.
“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 on Truth Social.
“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!!!”
Airport Shutdown and Investigation
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all flights at Reagan National Airport, which is expected to remain closed until 11:00 AM (1600 GMT) on Thursday.
American Airlines’ CEO issued a video statement expressing “deep sorrow,” while U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas called the crash “nothing short of a nightmare.”
Questions About Crowded Airspace
Investigators will now focus on how a passenger plane equipped with modern collision-avoidance technology could have collided with a military aircraft in such a heavily monitored airspace.
Washington’s airspace is often congested, with commercial aircraft approaching Reagan National at low altitudes while helicopters—military and civilian—regularly operate in the area, sometimes transporting senior government officials.
This crash recalls the January 1982 disaster at the same airport, when Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737, failed to properly de-ice before takeoff. It crashed into the 14th Street Bridge and plunged into the Potomac River, killing 78 people.
The last major fatal U.S. airline crash occurred in 2009 when Continental Flight 3407, en route from New Jersey to Buffalo, New York, crashed, killing all 49 people aboard.
