DC plane crash live updates: Black Hawk helicopter collides with regional jet
An American Airlines regional jet went down in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after colliding with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, Wednesday night, prompting a multi-agency search-and-rescue operation, according to officials.
The Federal Aviation Administration said preliminary information indicates a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with the helicopter while on approach to the airport around 9 p.m. local time.
The plane departed from Wichita, Kansas.
Jan 30, 2:15 AM
President Donald Trump released a statement on social media about the jet-helicopter crash over the Potomac River seeming to question the actions of the helicopter pilots and Air Traffic Control.
"It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn," Trump posted on his platform Truth Social. "Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!"
According to radio traffic, Air Traffic Control at the airport advised the helicopter of the plane’s approach and asked the helicopter pilots to confirm they had the plane in sight, which is standard procedure.
Investigators will work to understand what went wrong.
Jan 30, 2:13 AM
In somber remarks at a news conference early Thursday morning, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall suggested he feared the passengers and crew aboard a regional American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter that collided were lost.
"When one person dies, it's a tragedy," Marshall said. "But when many, many, many people die, it's an unbearable sorrow … It's really hard when you lose, you know, probably over 60 Kansans, simultaneously."
Speaking of the pilots, flight attendants and military personnel, Marshall added, "All those lives are so valuable, and it is such a tragedy that we lost them."
PHOTO: Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas speaks at a media briefing at Reagan National Airport after a plane crashed into the Potomac River outside Washington, Jan. 30, 2025. (Ting Shen/AFP via Getty Images)
Officials have not publicly confirmed any fatalities. There were 64 people aboard the jet and three aboard the helicopter.
Fellow Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran said he knows the flight pattern of Flight 5342 well.
I've flown it many times myself," Moran said, adding that he lobbied American Airlines to add direct, nonstop flight service from Wichita to Reagan National.
Jan 30, 1:41 AM
Divers and boats are searching the dark, frigid waters of the Potomac River hours after a Black Hawk helicopter collided with a jet approaching Reagan National Airport and both aircraft crashed into the water.
Officials did not provide an update on whether anyone had been pulled from the water or taken to the hospital during an early morning news conference about 1 a.m. Thursday.
D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department Chief John Donnelly said the search-and-rescue effort would continue through the night in very difficult conditions.
PHOTO: Emergency units respond to airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
"The conditions out there are extremely rough," Donnelly said. "It's cold. They're dealing with relatively windy conditions."
Jan 30, 12:49 AM
A regional American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided over Washington, D.C., Wednesday night in the first major commercial airline crash since 2009.
PHOTO: Map of the area around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the layout of Runway 33, which the regional American Airlines jet was approaching at the time of the collision with the Army Black Hawk helicopter, according to officials. (ABC News, Flightradar24.com)
Jan 30, 12:25 AM
Three emergency care providers in the Washington, D.C., region have confirmed with ABC News that they have not yet received any patients from the crash.
Inova Fairfax said its "hospitals are prepared to care for any patients from the tragic incident at DCA" just before midnight on Wednesday. "Our hearts are with all those affected," the medical provider also said in its statement to ABC News.
"At this time, we have not received any patients," VHC Health, formerly the Virginia Hospital Center, said in a statement at midnight on Wednesday.
"The crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a sad and shocking tragedy and our thoughts are with all those impacted by this incident. We are working directly with the Arlington and Metropolitan Police Department, Fire, and EMS teams and all authorities," VHC Health said, adding, "VHC Health is prepared to assist and support first responders as these agencies continue their emergency response."
"We did not receive anyone from the plane collision," a representative from MedStar Health confirmed with ABC News.
-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud and Eric Strauss
Jan 30, 12:35 AM
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom released a video statement about the crash of Flight 5342 over the Potomac River on Wednesday night as it approached Reagan National Airport.
"First and most importantly I'd like to express our deep sorrow about these events," Isom said.
PHOTO: Passengers waiting for baggage at Ronald Reagan National Airport react after the airport was shut down following a collision between a commercial airplane and a military helicopter in Arlington, Va., Jan. 29, 2025. (Will Oliver/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
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He said the airline is fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board and working with federal, state and local authorities on the response to the crash. The airline is sending a "go team" to D.C. and Isom said he will join them shortly and that the
"We want to learn everything we can about today's events," Isom said. "That work will take time."
Jan 29, 11:58 PM
The U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 over the Potomac River was on a training flight at the time, according to Heather Chairez, spokesperson for Joint Task Force-National Capital Region.
"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. We are working with local officials and will provide additional information once it becomes available."
-ABC News' Luis Martinez
Jan 30, 12:34 AM
There are confirmed fatalities from the collision of American Airlines Flight 5342 and the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River.
Several bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River crash site, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the ongoing operation.
PHOTO: Rescue teams stage to help search the Potomac River after a commercial airplane reportedly collided with a military helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, Jan. 29 2025. (Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
So far, no survivors have been rescued from the water, the sources said.
-ABC News' Aaron Katersky
Jan 29, 11:40 PM
The Wichita National Airport has activated an incident and support team to help within the terminal to provide families with information, according to Jesse Romo, Wichita's director of airports.
Romo called the crash "devastating" during a press briefing tonight and said he believes there are family members of those aboard the American Airlines flight already at the airport seeking any updates.
Direct flights from Wichita National Airport to DCA launched a year ago, Romo said.
Jan 29, 11:41 PM
The FBI Washington Field Office said in a statement that it's sending its National Capital Response Squad "in support of our law enforcement and public safety partners."
PHOTO: Rescue teams search the Potomac River after a commercial airplane reportedly collided with a military helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, Jan. 29 2025. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/Shuttersto)
-ABC News' Jack Date
