An American Airlines regional jet carrying 64 people collided midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter late Wednesday night as both aircraft approached Reagan National Airport, sending them plunging into the icy waters of the Potomac River.
Authorities have described the crash as one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent D.C. history. Rescue teams have recovered more than 30 bodies, though officials now consider the operation a recovery effort rather than a search for survivors.
"We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," said John Donnelly, chief of D.C. Fire and EMS. "At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident, and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter."
The American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, had departed from Wichita and was making its final approach to Reagan Airport when it collided with the military helicopter, an Army UH-60 Black Hawk from Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The Black Hawk, which was on a routine training exercise, was carrying three soldiers.
It remains unclear why the two aircraft were on a collision course, as visibility was clear at the time of the accident. Air traffic control had instructed the Black Hawk crew to maintain visual separation from the jet, a standard procedure in congested airspace. Former President Donald Trump questioned on Truth Social why Reagan's control tower had not given the military aircraft more explicit instructions, but aviation experts say visual separation guidance is not unusual.
David Soucie, a CNN aviation analyst, described Reagan National Airport as "one of the most complex airports" due to its mix of military and commercial traffic. "There's flight restrictions on where you can fly, what kind of approaches you have to make, and there's demands on how quickly those airplanes have to come in and out," he said.
Passengers on board included a delegation of figure skaters, coaches, and families who had attended the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Telegram that Russian figure skaters were among the passengers. U.S. Figure Skating issued a statement saying that "several" of its members were on board but did not provide further details.
One high-profile skater who was mistakenly believed to have been on board was Anton Spiridonov, who took to Instagram to dispel Russian media reports that he was among the presumed victims. "I was NOT on this flight, thank you for everyone's concern for my safety. My heart goes out to all the families affected by this tragedy," Spiridonov wrote.
Emergency responders have been searching the crash site in freezing conditions, with water temperatures hovering just above freezing. Divers from multiple law enforcement agencies have been deployed, while helicopters have been scanning the river for additional bodies.
Reagan National Airport has been shut down since the crash and is expected to remain closed until at least 11 a.m. Thursday, officials said.
"This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines," said CEO Robert Isom in a video statement. "Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into the crash, with the NTSB taking the lead. The Metropolitan Police Department has not yet provided an official count of fatalities, though they have acknowledged that the odds of finding survivors are increasingly slim.
This crash marks the worst aviation disaster in the Washington, D.C. area since the Air Florida Flight 90 tragedy in January 1982, when a Boeing 737 struck the 14th Street Bridge and crashed into the Potomac, killing 78 people. It is also the deadliest U.S. commercial aviation incident since 2009, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, N.Y., killing all 49 people on board.
