The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the midair crash occurred around 9 p.m. EST when a regional jet, departing from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter while approaching an airport runway. The incident took place in one of the most heavily monitored and controlled airspaces in the world, just over three miles south of the White House and the Capitol.
Investigators will work to reconstruct the final moments of the aircrafts before the collision, which will include reviewing communications with air traffic controllers and a loss of altitude by the passenger jet.
American Airlines Flight 5342 was inbound to Reagan National at an altitude of around 400 feet and a speed of approximately 140 miles per hour when it experienced a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River, according to data from its radio transponder. The Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet, built in 2004, has the capacity to carry up to 70 passengers.
Minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked if the commercial jet could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National, to which the pilots confirmed it was possible. The plane was then cleared to land on Runway 33, with flight tracking sites showing an adjustment made to its approach toward the new runway.
Audio from the air traffic control tower around the time of the crash reveals a controller asking the helicopter, “PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight?” referring to the passenger aircraft.
Shortly after the collision, another pilot is heard on the radio asking, “Tower, did you see that?”
The control tower immediately began diverting other aircraft away from Reagan National.
Video footage from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights that appeared to merge into a fireball.
American Airlines later posted on social media, acknowledging reports that one of its flights may have been involved in the incident. They stated that more information would be provided as soon as it became available.
The crash is proving to be a significant test for two of the Trump administration’s newest agency leaders. Pete Hegseth, who was recently sworn in as defense secretary, shared on social media that his department was “actively monitoring” the situation involving an Army helicopter. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was sworn in earlier this week, also posted that he was “at the FAA HQ and closely monitoring the situation.”
Reagan National, located along the Potomac River just southwest of the city, is a popular airport due to its proximity—much closer than the larger Dulles International Airport, which is farther into Virginia.
Depending on the runway used, flights into Reagan often provide passengers with stunning views of landmarks like the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall, and the U.S. Capitol—offering a postcard-worthy welcome for tourists visiting the city.
The incident brought to mind the tragic crash of an Air Florida flight on January 13, 1982, which plummeted into the Potomac and killed 78 people.
The last fatal crash involving a U.S. commercial airline occurred in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. All 50 people aboard the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane, including 45 passengers, 2 pilots, and 2 flight attendants, lost their lives. Another person on the ground also died, bringing the total death toll to 50. An investigation later determined that the captain had accidentally caused the plane to stall while approaching the airport in Buffalo.
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