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American Airlines Flight Collides With Black Hawk Helicopter Near Washington Dc
Emergency equipment stages at Gravelly Point, north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, along the Potomac River, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
- A passenger jet collided midair with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport.
- Four crew and 60 passengers were on board, per a statement from American Airlines.
- The US Army UH-60 Black Hawk was on a training flight, according to a military spokesperson.
A passenger jet collided midair with a military helicopter Wednesday night during its final approach into Washington D.C.'s Reagan Washington National Airport.
PSA Airlines flight 5342 was impacted in the crash, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. PSA is an American Airlines wholly-owned subsidiary and operates regional flights on behalf of American.
American Airlines said in a statement there were 60 passengers and four crew members onboard.
The US Army UH-60 Black Hawk involved in the collision was on a training flight, a spokeswoman for Joint Task Force-National Capital Region confirmed in a statement.
"We can confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight's incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir during a training flight," Heather Chairez, the JTF-NCR's media chief, said in the statement.
Chairez told BI that the number of crew aboard the Black Hawk and their condition were unknown as of Wednesday night.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X the Army and Defense Department have launched an investigation into the mid-air collsion.
The PSA aircraft was a Bombardier CRJ700.
Footage taken from the Kennedy Center courtesy EarthCam shows a regional jet colliding with a helicopter in DC.EarthCam
"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 told Business Insider in a statement. "We will provide information as it becomes available."
The airport was closed to all aircraft after the crash.
American Airlines flight AA5342, operated by regional subsidiary PSA Airlines, flight path approaching Washington DC's Ronald Reagan International Airport.Flightradar24
A DC Fire spokesperson could not confirm any fatalities but said a "search and rescue operation is in progress."
In a video posted to the American Airlines website, AA CEO Robert Isom said the airline is "cooperating fully" with the NTSB's investigation of the crash.
"Anything we can do, we are doing, and right now, that means focusing on taking care of all passengers and crew involved, as well as their families," Isom said.
This marks the first complete loss plane crash in the US since 2009 when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed over Buffalo, killing 49 onboard and one person on the ground.
It's the third plane crash since December. An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer plane crashed, likely caused by Russian air defenses. Thirty-eight people died.
A few days later, a Boeing 737 operated by Korean carrier Jeju Airlines crashed during landing in South Korea, killing 179 people. Two people survived. The investigation is still ongoing.
This story is developing, check back for more information.
Read the original article on Business Insider
