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30th January 2025
11:08am GMT
An American Airlines flight carrying 64 people crashed into the Potomac River in the Washington DC area late last night, after colliding in mid-air with a US Army helicopter.
While there are no official figures for the number of dead or injured, CBS News reports that at least 19 bodies have been found.
With updates due to follow as an investigation gets underway, here's what we know so far about the tragic incident.
Footage shows a PSA Airlines jet operating as American Airlines 5342 colliding with a US Army helicopter as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at 9pm local time.
The passenger plane broke into multiple pieces and sunk several feet into the river, while the helicopter ended up upside down on the water, according to local reports.
The plane, a Bombardier CRJ700, departed from Wichita, Kansas and was carrying 60 passengers and four crew, American Airlines said.
A passenger plane and helicopter have collided in the skies above Washington DC.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 30, 2025
A web camera shot from the Kennedy Center showed a flash of light mid-air across the Potomac River around 8.47pm local time.https://t.co/giM6v2ky4J pic.twitter.com/LNGGlWLSIF
The Pentagon said the helicopter involved was a Sikorsky H-60 that took off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
Three US soldiers were on board, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
Another official added that it was on a training flight, and it belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
A clip published online, and reviewed by CNN, purports to capture the air traffic control conversation in the moments before the crash. A controller can reportedly be heard warning the helicopter about the plane, but receiving no reply. The audio has not been verified by the BBC.
The FAA said it would investigate the incident, together with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
LiveATC.net has released live audio of the final moments of communication between air traffic control and the helicopter, which it refers to as PAT25.
“PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ,” an air traffic controller said at 8.47 p.m.
Moments later, a different aircraft called in: “Tower, did you see that?”
“Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three,” one of the air traffic controllers can be heard saying.
“I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach into 33. We’re going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future,” another says.
“Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river,” a third can be heard saying.
“It was probably out in the middle of the river,” the controller said. “I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit.”
NBC4 reports that the passenger jet reportedly split into two pieces when it crashed, and that it is in seven feet of water in the Potomac River.
A search and rescue operation is underway, with 300 emergency responders on the scene, including divers, boats and helicopters.
Authorities have recovered at least 19 bodies so far. According to local reports, rescuers have not yet pulled any survivors from the water.
Several members of the figure skating community were on the passenger jet, according to a statement from US Figure Skating.
JUST IN: @USFigureSkating confirming several members of their skating community were aboard American Airlines Flight 5342.
— Jacqueline Matter (@JMatter_TV) January 30, 2025
They say their athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in in Wichita, Kansas
Full statement⬇️ pic.twitter.com/oqi4rTozJS
"These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas," the statement reads.
"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."
John Donnelly, chief of DC fire and EMS, said they are working in “extremely tough conditions.”
The Potomac River remain icy as teams battle through the early morning cold. The current temperature in Washington DC is 4C.
Anyone that enters freezing water could go into hypothermia within 20 to 30 minutes, according to the US National Weather Service.
President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the “terrible accident” and was monitoring the situation closely.
“May God Bless their souls,” he said in a statement.
“Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders,” he said.
Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines, which is the parent brand of American Eagle, expressed “deep sorrow” at the collision in a video shared to their website.
Locals who witnessed the crash have told how they initially noticed something was wrong when flights feeding into and out of the major airport had their paths diverted.
Local resident Jimmy Mazeo said he was at a nearby park eating dinner with his partner when he saw "white flares" erupt in the sky, and thought it may have been caused by a celestial event. He told WUSA9 he "didn't think much of it", believing the lights were "shooting stars".
Witness, Jimmy Mazeo, described what he saw moments before the plane, helicopter collision near Reagan National Airport collision. pic.twitter.com/uP5GniD9Zs
— Blue Owl (@BlueOwlHoots) January 30, 2025
Last night's tragic incident marked the first major U.S. commercial air crash in almost 16 years.
The last occurred in February 2009 when a Continental Airlines flight out of Newark, New Jersey, operated by Colgan Air crashed into a house as it was approaching the airport in Buffalo, New York.
That plane was a Bombardier Q400. Forty-nine people died in the tragedy.
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