Emergency responders on site at the plane crash in Washington D.C. (Credit: Weather Channel)
An American Airlines passenger jet collided with a military helicopter in midair near Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night.
American Flight 5342, which was landing in Washington from Wichita, Kan., struck a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter just before 9PM. According to American Airlines, there were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the flight. There were three soldiers on board the helicopter.
Fatalities have been confirmed and rescuers have yet to pull a survivor from the Potomac River, nearly 11 hours after the crash occurred.
According to US Figure Skating, several members of the figure skating community were aboard the plane - including two world champion Russian skaters. They were returning from the National Development Camp in Wichita. That camp is usually designed for youth skaters who would be eyeballing international competition over the next 5-10 years.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 30, 2025
All takeoffs and landings at Reagan have been stopped as emergency personnel continue to conduct a search and rescue operation near the runway where the plane was scheduled to land and in the nearby Potomac River, where both the plane and the helicopter went down.
The collision was caught on video from a distance by EarthCam.
DC Plane Crash caught on camera, so sad 😔
A plane reportedly just collided with a helicopter near Regean National Airport. Big explosion pic.twitter.com/5orwW2MlFh
The American Flight was operated by PSA Airlines, an American affiliate. The plane was a Bombardier CRJ700.
The collision happened as the passenger jet was coming in for a landing. The helicopter was on a training mission, but there has been no indication at this point that its pilot was inexperienced.
Reagan Airport is a tricky airport to navigate for pilots because of a variety of reasons, which includes limited air space over the nation's capitol, the proximity to the Pentagon and nearby military bases, combining both commercial and military operations in a confined space - which also makes for more difficult approaches to land as well as a pressure to do so within limited time parameters.
An investigation, led by the National Transportation Safety Board that will also include the Federal Aviation Administration as well as other agencies, will commence immediately.
American Airlines has shared a toll-free number for the families of passengers on board the flight. The number is 1-800-679-8215.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Information from ABC News, CNN and Fox News was used when compiling this report.
