An American Airlines passenger jet collided with a military helicopter in midair near Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night.
American Flight 5342, which was landing in Washington from Wichita, Kan., struck a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter just before 9PM. According to American Airlines, there were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the flight. There were three soldiers on board the helicopter.
There are no survivors.
Several members of the figure skating community were aboard the plane, including two world champion Russian skaters, according to US Figure Skating. They were returning from the National Development Camp in Wichita. That camp is usually designed for youth skaters who would be eyeballing international competition over the next five to 10 years.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 30, 2025
All takeoffs and landings at Reagan have been stopped as emergency personnel continue to conduct a search-and-rescue operation near the runway where the plane was scheduled to land and in the nearby Potomac River, where both the plane and the helicopter went down.
The collision was caught on video from a distance by EarthCam.
DC Plane Crash caught on camera, so sad 😔
— BLOODLINE SAGA 🩸 (@Rockstar82vansh) January 30, 2025
A plane reportedly just collided with a helicopter near Regean National Airport. Big explosion pic.twitter.com/5orwW2MlFh
The American Flight was operated by PSA Airlines, an American affiliate. The plane was a Bombardier CRJ700.
The collision happened as the passenger jet was coming in for a landing. The helicopter was on a training mission, but there has been no indication at this point that its pilot was inexperienced.
Reagan Airport is a tricky airport to navigate for pilots because of a variety of reasons, which includes limited air space over the nation's capitol, the proximity to the Pentagon and nearby military bases, combining both commercial and military operations in a confined space - which also makes for more difficult approaches to land as well as a pressure to do so within limited time parameters.
An investigation, led by the National Transportation Safety Board and include the Federal Aviation Administration as well as other agencies, will commence immediately.
American Airlines has shared a toll-free number for the families of passengers on board the flight. The number is 1-800-679-8215.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Information from ABC News, CNN and Fox News was used when compiling this report.