WASHINGTON, Jan 30: An American Airlines regional passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air and crashed into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, January 29, 2025. The crash resulted in a devastating wreckage recovery operation by emergency response teams from Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS, D.C. Police, and other agencies.
At least 18 bodies have been recovered from the river so far, according to a police official, while multiple bodies have been pulled from the water, as reported by Reuters. American Airlines confirmed that there were 64 people aboard the jet, including 60 passengers and four crew members, while the helicopter carried three soldiers.
Relatives of the passengers gathered at the airport in distress, reporting little information from officials about the incident. One woman, clearly devastated, collapsed in tears after expressing concern about her loved one aboard the jet. Hamaad Raza, who was at the airport waiting for his wife, said he was alarmed after receiving a text from her saying she would be landing soon, but the rest of his messages failed to deliver. “I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now,” he said.
The U.S. Army confirmed that the helicopter involved in the crash was a UH-60 Black Hawk, based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. While there has not been a fatal U.S. passenger airplane accident since 2009, the crash has raised serious safety concerns, especially after a series of near-miss incidents in recent years.
In a tragic reminder, the 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 crash into the 14th Street Bridge, also over the Potomac River, killed 70 people, including passengers and crew members.
A web camera shot from the Kennedy Center showed an explosion mid-air at around 8:47 p.m. (0147 GMT), with an aircraft in flames rapidly falling to the ground. The FAA confirmed that PSA was operating American Airlines Flight 5342, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom stated, “We’re cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can.” Meanwhile, police and emergency teams continued their search and rescue operation in the river, with multiple boats visible on the water, flashing blue and red lights.
As a result of the accident, all takeoffs and landings at Reagan National Airport were halted. U.S. President Donald Trump, who was fully briefed on the incident, expressed his condolences, saying, “May God bless their souls” and praised the work of first responders. He added, “I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
The FAA Administrator, Mike Whitaker, resigned on January 20, and the Trump administration has not named a replacement or disclosed who is currently running the agency on an interim basis. The last fatal major crash involving a commercial airliner in the U.S. occurred in 2009 when all 49 people aboard a Colgan Air flight died in a crash in New York state. One person also perished on the ground.
