A passenger plane that crashed in Washington, DC, collided in mid-air with a Sikorsky H-60 (Black Hawk) military helicopter on approach on Wednesday evening, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports.
The aircraft was operating American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, DC. It was a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet of PSA Airlines, a regional carrier, part of American Airlines. American Airlines has confirmed that its aircraft crashed. The National Transportation Safety Board is working with the FAA to investigate.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident involving a military helicopter and a regional passenger jet.
Donald Trump commented on the plane crash in Washington, calling it a “terrible accident.” He also said that the helicopter crew should have changed course and wondered why the collision with the passenger jet could not be avoided despite the clear weather.
What happened after the collision with the helicopter was not specified. The D.C. Police Department (MPD), in a joint statement with the District’s Fire and Emergency Management Services (FEMS) department, told X that “there are no confirmed casualties at this time.” At the same time, Texas Senator Ted Cruz wrote on X that “we don’t know yet how many people on board died, we know there are fatalities.”
American Airlines told CNN that 60 passengers and four crew members were on board the plane.
According to NBC, the plane broke into two pieces when it crashed and the search operation has been complicated by low water temperatures in the Potomac River, which are approaching zero degrees.
