Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
There were no survivors after an American Airlines regional jet with 64 people aboard collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter moments before the airplane was set to land at Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, officials said. The accident was the worst air disaster in the U.S. since 2001.
Hundreds of first responders have switched to a recovery operation from rescue efforts, District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly said in a press conference Thursday morning. Donnelly said at least 28 bodies have been recovered so far: 27 from the jet and one from the helicopter.
Both aircraft plunged into the icy waters of the Potomac River. First responders including divers worked overnight to try to recover victims, battling choppy, cold waters.
Sixty passengers and four crew members were on board the American flight. Three people were on board the military helicopter, an official said.
American Eagle Flight 5342, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jetliner, was on approach into the airport’s Runway 33 when it collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter at around 9 p.m. ET, the FAA said. The flight was arriving from Wichita, Kansas, and flying at an altitude of about 300 feet at the time of the collision, according to FlightRadar24.
PSA Airlines is an American Airlines subsidiary and one of its regional carriers. American Eagle is how the airline brands its regional flights.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, two days into the job, said the American Airlines jetliner was broken into three sections in the Potomac.
The accident hands President Donald Trump a crisis less than two weeks into his new term, as it ends the country’s nearly 16-year stretch without a deadly commercial passenger crash.
Trump claimed at a White House news conference Thursday that policies promoting diversity, equity and inclusion “could have been” to blame for the collision, the deadliest U.S. plane crash since November 2001. He did not provide evidence.
Pressed on whether he was getting ahead of the investigation and on how he could connect the collision to DEI, Trump said, “Because I have common sense, OK?”
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into Wednesday’s accident. The probe will also include the Federal Aviation Administration, American Airlines and other parties.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a memo to staff that the NTSB would be the “sole source of truth going forward, and accuracy is of the utmost importance.”
At a briefing Thursday afternoon, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the agency would leave no stone unturned in its investigation.
Investigators will look at everything from staffing levels at the airport’s air traffic control facility to pilot training, maintenance, communications between air traffic controllers and the aircraft involved in the crash, she said.
NBC News reported that two “black boxes” with flight information were recovered from the jet, citing a source with knowledge of the investigation.
Staffing at Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night wasn’t at normal levels for the time of day and the amount of traffic, according to a source familiar with a FAA preliminary incident report. The FAA didn’t immediately comment.
The person said the tower at the airport normally has one controller who focuses on helicopter traffic, though FAA allows for that position to be combined so one person could watch airplanes and helicopters. That was the case Wednesday night, the source said.
“Everyone who flies in American skies expects that we fly safely, that when you depart an airport, you get to your destination,” Duffy said in a press conference Thursday. “That didn’t happen last night, and I know that President Trump, his administration, the FAA, the DOT, you will not rest until we have answers for the family and for the flying public.”
Duffy said he thought the accident was preventable.
The FAA does not have a permanent head, which would require Senate confirmation. Former Administrator Mike Whitaker stepped down on Jan. 20, when Trump took office.
On Thursday, Trump appointed Chris Rocheleau, a former senior FAA official, as acting head of the FAA.
American CEO Isom traveled to Washington, D.C., overnight.
“I want to express my sincere condolences for the accident that happened last night. We’re absolutely heartbroken for the family members,” Isom said in a press conference. “Our focus right now is to support all of those involved and also the PSA airlines team.”
He said the American flight was at final approach and “at this time, we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft.”
Isom said the captain of the American Eagle flight had about six years with PSA and the first officer had about two years. The plane was on a “standard” approach, he added. “That’s about all I can say.”
NBC News reported that one of the soldiers on the helicopter was an instructor pilot lending experience to the crew, which was on an annual training mission.
The airline provided contact information for people who “believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342.”
American and Russian figure skaters were on board the flight, according to the countries’ official groups.
Reagan Washington National was closed Wednesday night and reopened late Thursday morning. Officials said airlines would communicate any schedule changes to passengers.
Source : https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/30/aircraft-down-in-potomic-river-near-dca-airport.html