A “highly complex” search and rescue operation is underway after a passenger plane collided with a military helicopter in Washington DC.
The American Airlines flight, with 60 passengers and four crew on board, was landing at the Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided mid-air with the military aircraft, which had three soldiers on board.
Washington plane crash latest: Follow updates as rescue continues
Both aircraft then crashed into the Potomac River and 300 responders are currently working on the scene in “extremely tough” conditions, officials have said.
Despite local media reports claiming four people have been found alive, DC fire chief John Donnelly said at a press conference: “We don’t know if there are survivors, but we are working on it.”
This is what we know so far:
• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed the crash involved a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ701 twin-engine jet regional jet and a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter.
• American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, was travelling from Wichita, Kansas with 60 passengers and four crew on board. American Eagle is a regional brand for American Airlines.
• The airliner was on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport and the US Army helicopter – a UH-60 Black Hawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia – was on a training flight when the collision happened. Three soldiers were on board.
• CCTV footage shows a flash of light in the sky at 8.47pm local time (1.47am UK time) appearing to show the moment the aircraft collided and burst into flames.
• An alert was sounded at 8.48pm local time, sparking a large regional response. The first units arrived on the scene at 8.58pm and found an aircraft in the water.
• A large search and rescue operation is underway, involving 300 responders – including divers in the water – and multiple boats and helicopters. Rescuers are working in “extremely tough conditions,” Mr Donnelly said.
• There are no official figures for the number of dead or injured. At least 18 bodies have been recovered following the crash, according to CBS News. Local media has reported four people have been found alive but DC fire chief John Donnelly told the press it’s unclear if there are survivors.
• Kansas senator Roger Marshall of Kansas has said: “When one person dies it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die it’s an unbearable sorrow.”
• According to Tass news agency in Russia, two figure skaters from the country were on board the American Airlines flight. Married couple Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov won the 1994 World Figure Skating Championship.
• Air traffic audio recorded in the immediate aftermath of the crash has been released. A controller says: “Um, I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ [the type of plane that crash] and a helicopter that hit, I would say a half-mile off the approach.”
• Within minutes, the controllers began redirecting other planes in the region.
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‘I need you to land’ – audio from crash
• The Bombardier plane which crashed in mid-air broke into two pieces and is in around seven feet of water in the Potomac River, sources told the local NBC News station in Washington DC. The helicopter is upside down in the water.
• The US President said he is monitoring the situation after being briefed on what he described was a “terrible accident”. He also praised emergency crews and referenced the victims, adding: “May God Bless their souls.” Both Donald Trump and US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth have spoken with DC officials.
• The Reagan Washington National Airport will be closed until at least 11am today local time (4pm UK time).
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‘My daughter’s friend was on this flight’
• A few minutes before it was scheduled to land, the American Eagle flight was given permission to approach runway 33. Air traffic controllers checked with the helicopter pilot that they had the arriving plane in sight. Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
• Marco Chan, a senior lecturer in aviation operations, has told Sky News the commercial jet would usually have the right of way in this situation. “It is already on a final approach,” he said. “Unless, for whatever reason, the military helicopter is in fact carrying out a military operation with urgency, the commercial jet would have the right of way.”
• Flight tracking information, based on data transmitted by the Bombardier plane’s radio transponder, reveals it was at an altitude of about 400ft and a speed of about 140mph when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River.
