Washington, 30 January 2025: An American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair Wednesday night before crashing into the icy Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport. Officials have not confirmed the death toll, but U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, where the flight originated, suggested all passengers perished.
“It’s really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously,” Marshall said at a news conference early Thursday at Reagan Airport. “When many, many people die, it’s an unbearable sorrow.”
American Airlines reported 64 people—60 passengers and four crew members—were aboard the CRJ jet.
The Black Hawk, on a training flight, carried three soldiers. CBS News, citing a police official, reported at least 18 bodies recovered, while Reuters sources confirmed multiple bodies pulled from the water.
The crash occurred as the jet approached Reagan for landing. Air traffic control recordings captured final communications, with controllers directing the helicopter, call sign PAT25, to pass behind the CRJ just before impact.
“PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ,” an air traffic controller was heard saying at 8:47 p.m. Moments later, another pilot radioed, “Tower, did you see that?”
A webcam at the Kennedy Center recorded a fireball as the aircraft collided. “I just saw a fireball, and then it was just gone,” an air traffic controller was heard saying.
The Pentagon announced an immediate investigation. President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post, appeared to blame the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers.
“It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn?” Trump wrote, calling it a “bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.”
More than 300 first responders were at the scene, with helicopters and boats scouring the frigid waters. Washington, D.C., Fire Chief John Donnelly described the operation as “highly complex,” citing harsh weather conditions.
“It’s cold. They’re dealing with windy conditions,” Donnelly said, adding that officials could not yet confirm survivors.
At the airport, distraught relatives sought answers. “I don’t know if she got on there or not,” one woman told an official before collapsing in tears.
A Reuters reporter saw a helicopter circling with a spotlight, while rescue boats scanned the river with flashlights. Police and emergency crews lined the tarmac at Reagan Airport as flashing red and blue lights illuminated the shoreline.
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter said Reagan Airport would remain closed until at least 11 a.m. Thursday.
The collision adds to growing concerns over U.S. aviation safety following a string of near-miss incidents. The last major fatal crash involving a commercial airliner in the U.S. occurred in 2009, when a Colgan Air flight crashed in New York, killing all 49 onboard and one person on the ground.
In 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac, killing 74 people.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed PSA Airlines was operating Flight 5342 for American Airlines. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the company is fully cooperating with investigators.
“We’re working with the National Transportation Safety Board and will continue to provide all the information we can,” Isom said in a video statement.