An American Airlines regional jet went down in the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after colliding with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, with no survivors.
Map of the area around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the layout of Runway 33, which the regional American Airlines jet was approaching at the time of the collision with the Army Black Hawk helicopter, according to officials.
ABC News, Google Earth, Flightradar24, ADS-B Exchange
Hegseth says Army, Pentagon have launched investigation
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said an immediate investigation has been launched after the mid-air collision of an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday.
"Absolutely tragic," Hegseth posted on X. "Search and rescue efforts still ongoing. Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families."
Jan 30, 2025, 2:14 AM EST
Trump weighs in on crash
President Donald Trump released a statement on social media about the jet-helicopter crash over the Potomac River seeming to question the actions of the helicopter pilots and Air Traffic Control.
"It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn," Trump posted on his platform Truth Social. "Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!"
According to radio traffic, Air Traffic Control at the airport advised the helicopter of the plane’s approach and asked the helicopter pilots to confirm they had the plane in sight, which is standard procedure.
Investigators will work to understand what went wrong.
Jan 30, 2025, 2:04 AM EST
Kansas senator describes 'unbearable sorrow'
In somber remarks at a news conference early Thursday morning, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall suggested he feared the passengers and crew aboard a regional American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter that collided were lost.
"When one person dies, it's a tragedy," Marshall said. "But when many, many, many people die, it's an unbearable sorrow … It's really hard when you lose, you know, probably over 60 Kansans, simultaneously."
Speaking of the pilots, flight attendants and military personnel, Marshall added, "All those lives are so valuable, and it is such a tragedy that we lost them."
Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas speaks at a media briefing at Reagan National Airport after a plane crashed into the Potomac River outside Washington, Jan. 30, 2025.
Ting Shen/AFP via Getty Images
Officials have not publicly confirmed any fatalities. There were 64 people aboard the jet and three aboard the helicopter.
Fellow Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran said he knows the flight pattern of Flight 5342 well.
I've flown it many times myself," Moran said, adding that he lobbied American Airlines to add direct, nonstop flight service from Wichita to Reagan National.
Jan 30, 2025, 1:41 AM EST
Search and rescue in Potomac River to continue overnight
Divers and boats are searching the dark, frigid waters of the Potomac River hours after a Black Hawk helicopter collided with a jet approaching Reagan National Airport and both aircraft crashed into the water.
Officials did not provide an update on whether anyone had been pulled from the water or taken to the hospital during an early morning news conference about 1 a.m. Thursday.
D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department Chief John Donnelly said the search-and-rescue effort would continue through the night in very difficult conditions.
Emergency units respond to airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
"The conditions out there are extremely rough," Donnelly said. "It's cold. They're dealing with relatively windy conditions."