Updates: Horror Over DC – Black Hawk Helicopter, Passenger Jet Collide – Bodies in Potomac – Prayer Needed
A tragic midair collision occurred on Wednesday night between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near the Potomac River, resulting in the deaths of all 64 individuals on board, including 60 passengers and four crew members of the plane, and three soldiers in the helicopter. The jet was approaching Reagan National Airport from Wichita, Kansas, while the helicopter was conducting a training flight.
As of Thursday morning, recovery efforts revealed that at least 28 bodies had been retrieved from the river. Washington D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly announced that they were transitioning from rescue to recovery operations, expressing little hope for survivors.
The collision happened around 9 p.m., and prior to the incident, an air traffic controller had informed the helicopter about the approaching plane and instructed it to pass behind the jet.Following the crash, wreckage appeared in the River, with one witness describing a fireball upon impact. The helicopter was based at Davison Army airfield in Virginia, and the plane involved was a Bombardier CRJ-701. Among the victims were elite American figure skaters and two Russian champions.
No one survived Wednesday night’s midair collision of an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that sent debris raining down upon the Potomac River
American Airlines said 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the plane when it collided with the Sikorsky H-60, according to WTOP-FM.
The plane, which was flying into Washington from Wichita, Kansas, had been preparing to land at Reagan National Airport. The chopper, carrying three soldiers, was on a training flight.
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, 28 bodies had been pulled from the Potomac.
Washington D.C. Fire Chief, John Donnelly said Thursday that all aboard both aircraft were killed.
“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” he said. “We don’t believe there are any survivors.”
“We will continue to work to find all the bodies and collect them and reunite them with their loved ones,” Donnelly said, according to NBC.
Donnelly said earlier that about 300 responders had been searching for survivors, pulling debris, luggage, and bodies from the water.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the collision happened around 9 p.m. as the plane was approaching the airport, according to WTOP
Flight tracking data showed that Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet, was approaching for its landing at about 400 feet and a speed of 140 mph when it dropped suddenly.
Less than 30 seconds before the collision, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it was aware of the plane and advised it to “pass behind the CRJ.”
The collision came seconds later.
The plane broke into two pieces after the chopper hit it, according to NBC.
“It was probably out in the middle of the river. I just saw a fireball, and then it was just gone,” an audio transmission from the airport said.
Wreckage from the crash in the Potomac pic.twitter.com/XDVpAmshlp
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 30, 2025
The Black Hawk helicopter was from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion out of Davison Army Airfield in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Elite American figure skaters were on the downed passenger jet, U.S. Figure Skating said. Two Russian champion skaters were also aboard.
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