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Search and rescue teams work near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, following the collision of American Eagle Flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter, which collided with the Potomak River, Virginia, USA, January 30, 2025.
Evelyn Hokstein | Reuters
There were no survivors after American Airlines A regional aircraft with 64 people on board collocated With the moments of the Black Hawk military helicopter before the plane landed in Washington, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, staff said. The incident was The worst air disaster In the US since 2001
Hundreds of first responders moved to surgery for rescue efforts, said the head of the Colombia County Fire and Emergency Medical Services John Donne Donne Donne Donne Donne Donne Donne Dona at a press conference on Thursday morning. Doneli said that at least 28 bodies have been restored so far: 27 of the jet and one of the helicopter.
Both planes were immersed in the icy waters of the Potomak River. The first responding, including divers, worked overnight to try to recover the victims, fighting torn, cold waters.
Sixty passengers and four crew members were aboard the US flight. Three people were aboard the military helicopter, an employee said.
American Eagle Flight 5342, PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700’s Regional Jetliner, approached the airport run 33 when it collided with a Sikorsky H-60 ​​helicopter around 21:00 ET, FAA said. The flight arrived from Wichita, Kansas and flying at an altitude of about 300 feet during the collision, according to Flightradar24.
PSA Airlines is a subsidiary of American Airlines and one of its regional carriers. American Eagle is how the airline marks its regional flights.
Transport Sean DuffyTwo days of work, said the American Airlines Jetliner was broken into three sections in Potomak.
President of the President of the Accident Donald Trump A crisis for less than two weeks in his new term as he graduated from the almost 16-year-old section of the country without a deadly trade passenger accident.
Trump said in the White House press conference On Thursday, that policies promoting diversity, justice and inclusion could be “guilty of the collision, the most deadly plane crash in the United States since November 2001, did not provide evidence.
Pressing if he is ahead of the investigation and how he can connect the collision with the Day, Trump said, “Because I have common sense, right?”
People look at the site of the Airican Airlines aircraft on the Potomak River when it approached the Reagan National Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.
Andrew Harnik | Ghetto images
The National Transport Safety Council is investigating the incident on Wednesday. The probe will also include Federal Aviation Administration, American Airlines and other parties.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a staff note that NTSB would be “the only source of truth that goes on and accuracy is of utmost importance.”
At a briefing on Thursday afternoon, NTSB chairman Jennifer Homidi said the agency would not leave a stone overturned in its investigation.
Investigators will look at everything from staff levels at the airport air traffic control facility to pilot training, maintenance, communications between air traffic controllers and aircraft involved in the crash, she said.
NTSB said at the end of Thursday that flight data and voice recorder of the CRJ-700 cockpit were restored. The boxes have been taken to NTSB Labs for evaluation, the agency said.
The staff at the Reagan National Airport Wednesday night was not at normal levels for the time of the day and the amount of traffic, according to a source familiar with a preliminary report on the FAA incident. FAA doesn’t comment immediately.
The person said that the airport tower usually has a controller that focuses on a helicopter traffic, although the FAA allows this position to be combined so that one person can watch planes and helicopters. This was the case on Wednesday night, the source said.
“Anyone who flies in the American sky expects to fly safely that when you leave an airport, you reach your destination,” Duffy said at a press conference on Thursday. “This did not happen last night and I know that President Trump, his administration, the FAA, the point, you will not rest until we have answers for the family and the flying audience.”
Law enforcement agencies continued their investigation into the American Airlines aircraft, which collided with the Potomak River as it tried to land at Reagan National Airport on January 30, 2025 in Washington, Colombia.
Kayla Bartkovski | Ghetto images
Duffy said he thought the incident was prevented.
The FA has no permanent leader who will require Senate confirmation. Former administrator Mike Whitaker retreat On January 20, when Trump took office.
On Thursday, Trump appointed Chris Rochello, a former senior FAA employee as acting FAA leader.
US CEO isom travels to Washington, Colombia County overnight.
“I want to express my sincere condolences about the accident that happened last night. We are absolutely shattered for family members,” Isom told a press conference. “Our focus is now to support all participants as well as the PSA Airlines team.”
He said US -based flight It was a definitive approach and “At that time we do not know why the military plane entered the PSA aircraft.”
The emergency staff operates near the site of the crash, with the US Capitol in the background after a flight of the American Eagle 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter as it approached the Ronald Reagan Washington Airport and crashes in the Potomak River, USA USA On January 30, 2025
Nathan Howard | Reuters
Isom said that the captain of the American Eagle flight had about six years with PSA, and the first officer had about two years. The plane was on a “standard” approach, he added. “That’s all I can say.”
NBC News reported that one of the helicopter soldiers was an attempt to lend a crew instructor who was on an annual training mission.
The airline provided contact information For people who “believe you may have had relatives aboard flight 5342.”
American and Russian figure skaters were aboard the flight, according to the official groups of the countries.
Reagan Washington National was imprisoned Wednesday night and opened again late on Thursday morning. Officials said the airlines would report any changes to the passenger schedule.
The Flight Information Board shows canceled flights at the Reagan National Airport, while rescue boats search the waters of the Potomak River after a US Airlines plane crashes at Reagan National Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.
Kayla Bartkovski | Getty Images News | Ghetto images
The airport says its main track is the most busy in the country.
US had a long stretch without Fatal Commercial Passenger Airline CatastrophesS The latest crash of the US airline in the United States took place in February 2009, when the Continental Flight 3407 crashed into a house as it arrived in Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground.
The crash of this Turboprop aircraft has caused federal regulations requiring more resting and training for pilots.
“We are shocked and saddened by the tragic incident at DCA tonight,” said Air Line Pilots Association, a pilot union. “Our thoughts are affected by this tragedy and the ALPA accident investigation team responds to help the National Transport Safety Council in their investigation.”
– CNBC’s Kevin Breunner and Phil Lebo contributed to this report.
This story is evolving. Please check again for updates.
Correction: American Airlines aircraft encountered an army helicopter. This fact had a typographic error in the title of a previous version.
