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A jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.
According to officials, American Eagle Flight 5342 with 60 passengers and four crewmembers aboard was approaching the Washington, D.C., area airport when it collided with a U.S. Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter at around 9 p.m.
“A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local [Eastern] time. PSA was operating Flight 5342 as American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas, the FAA said in a statement.
The helicopter involved in the collision was carrying three people and was participating in a training flight, U.S. military officials told NBC News.
Since search-and-rescue efforts began Wednesday night, crews have recovered at least a dozen bodies, two sources close to the recovery efforts told NBC Washington.
“We’re aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been involved in an incident,” American Airlines said in a statement on X. “We will provide information as it becomes available.”
“I’d like to express our deep sorrow about these events,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a statement Wednesday night. “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.
President Donald Trump said on X he had been “fully briefed on this terrible accident” and, referring to the passengers, added, “May God Bless their souls.”
In a statement to NBC Washington, the FBI said there’s nothing to indicate anything criminal or terrorist-related to the crash and added its Washington Field Office is responding to the site.
“The FBI Washington Field Office’s National Capital Response Squad is responding to an aviation incident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in support of our law enforcement and public safety partners,” the Washington field office said in a statement.
The collision occurred on a warm winter evening in Washington, with temperatures registering as high as 60 degrees Fahrenheit, following a stretch days earlier of intense cold and ice. On Wednesday, the Potomac River was 36 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The National Weather Service reported that wind gusts of up to 25 mph were possible in the area throughout the evening.
All takeoffs and landings from the Reagan National were halted while helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene. Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a point along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport, and first responders set up light towers from the shore to illuminate the area near the collision site. At least a half-dozen boats are scanning the water using search lights.
The airport was to remain closed through at least 5 a.m. Thursday, officials said. The FAA said it and the NTSB will investigate, with the NTSB leading the investigation.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
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