SEE BELOW FOR UPDATES
Incoming American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan., collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night just before 9 p.m.
Both the White House and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the information. All flights at Reagan National have been halted until further notice.
The FAA released the following statement about the crash:
A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time. PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas.
The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation. We will provide updates as information comes in.
The D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department and D.C. Fire and EMS also released a statement about a coordinated search and rescue operation currently taking place in the Potomac River:
Update 10:36 p.m.: NBC 4 is reporting that "four victims have been taken to North Boathouse Fire Station at Reagan National Airport." It is unknown whether there are any survivors among the 60 passengers and four crew members onboard. The water temperature is reported to be 37 degrees.
American Airlines confirmed the crash on social media:
The Army has confirmed that there were three soldiers on board the Black Hawk helicopter.
There is a massive search-and-rescue effort underway on the Potomac River:
Flights are currently being diverted to other airports. A ground stop is in effect at Reagan National Airport until at least 5 a.m. on Thursday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that he is "on site at the FAA HQ and closely monitoring the situation."
Newly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X: "DoD actively monitoring. Poised to assist if needed. Prayers for all involved."
Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem has been briefed and is "actively monitoring" the situation.
Vice President JD Vance is asking people to pray for those affected by the crash.
Update 11:03 p.m.: President Trump released a statement:
I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.
Meanwhile, we have unconfirmed Air Traffic Control audio
Air Traffic Control Audio from the plane crash: “I saw a fireball and then it was just gone” pic.twitter.com/R2JQ42ONHE https://t.co/mfq48czBfH
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 30, 2025
Audio between PAT25 and DCA tower asking if they have the CRJ in sight. Affirms and requests visual separation. pic.twitter.com/6VAxx9zmv5
— NOVA Scanner Updates (@NOVAScanner) January 30, 2025
The plane is reported to have been going 140 mph at 400' altitude when the crash occurred.
WUSA shared a heartbreaking interview with a man whose wife was on the plane.
Updated 11:59 p.m.: CBS News reports that no survivors have been found:
A police official at the scene told CBS News there were three debris fields in the water and that at least 18 bodies had been recovered as of 11:30 p.m. ET. The official said no survivors had been found so far.
We are expecting a news conference from DCA at 12:30 a.m. ET.
CBS reports that the plane is in two pieces in 7' of water and that the helicopter is upside-down in the Potomac.
Now, DCA is not expected to reopen until Friday.
Update 12:28 p.m.: Trump just posted this on Truth Social:
Update 12:45 a.m.: At a late-night DCA press conference, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said first responders "are executing a rescue operation" in the Potomac River. She would not say whether there were any survivors; however, she confirmed that both aircraft were in the water.
Asked about what went wrong, she deferred to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Contrary to previous reports, she noted that DCA will reopen at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy said, "We want to extend our thoughts and prayers to the individuals who are impacted by the events tonight."
"We are going to offer full support to those on the ground," he added, "but also to the NTSB that is going to be conducting the investigation."
He stated that he met earlier with President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the White House Situation Room to discuss the crash.
D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said 300 responders are working the scene, including boats from throughout the region, in a "highly complex operation" in conditions that are "extremely rough."
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) called the plane crash "an unbearable sorrow, a heartbreak beyond measure" and seemed to suggest that there were no survivors:
We've been through things like this before, through tornadoes and floods and things, but it's really hard when you lose, you know, probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously, and I don't want to forget the pilots and the — and the flight attendants, you know, who were doing, you know — doing their job and the military personnel we lost all those lives are so valuable and it is such a tragedy that we lost them.
He shared a favorite Psalm: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Jack Potter from the Metro Washington Airports Authority said, "Right now, we are in rescue mode. We will continue in that rescue mode."
"We will continue to work through the night," he added. "We hope to have more news as it develops, but for right now, it's a very difficult situation" due to the dark and the weather.
Update 9:29 a.m.: Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said during a press conference this morning that they do not expect to find any survivors of the crash.
“We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” he said. “At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident.”
Officials say that 28 bodies had been pulled from the Potomac River, with 39 people still missing.
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