A passenger aeroplane collided with an army helicopter in Washington DC (United States) on Wednesday night. The 64 people on board and three military personnel in the helicopter are all thought to be dead.
The American Airlines passenger plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, the company confirmed to US media. It collided with an army helicopter carrying three military personnel while flying over the American capital, Washington DC, on Wednesday night.
US aviation authorities said the crash occurred at around 21:00 local time as the plane – Flight 5342, from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) bound for Washington DC (DCA) – approached runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport.
They collided over the Potomac River near the airport, and both the plane and the Army's Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the river. The plane – a Bombardier CRJ700 of PSA Airlines – is said to have broken into pieces.
Emergency services are on the scene with 300 personnel, and a rescue operation is currently underway. "We don't think there are any survivors," said Washington DC fire brigade chief John Donnelly at a press conference, Belga News Agency reports. According to Donnelly, 28 bodies have been recovered so far.
Among the passengers on the American Airlines plane are coaches and athletes from the US figure skating team. Russian state media has also reported that Russian figure skaters and coaches Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the flight. They won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994.
#AA5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas (ICT), to Washington, D.C. (DCA) was involved in an accident at DCA. Get the latest updates on our Newsroom https://t.co/vb4fAAUENX
— americanair (@AmericanAir) January 30, 2025
US media has reported that the search and rescue operation is "very complex" as emergency workers are searching in "dark, cold and windy" conditions.
American Airlines has opened a phone line specifically for the family and friends of people involved.
President Donald Trump was immediately informed. "God bless their souls. And thank you to the emergency services for the incredible work," he said. He added that the collision "should have been prevented".
This article was updated at 14:12 to include new information.
