Emergency personnel are conducting search and rescue efforts in the freezing Potomac River after a passenger plane collided with a US Army helicopter midair near Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, DC Wednesday night, News.az reports citing Reuters.
There were 64 people on board the plane and three soldiers in the Army helicopter. A law enforcement source said there have been confirmed fatalities, but did not specify how many.
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A PSA Airlines plane collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter late Wednesday as the plane was preparing to land at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the collision occurred around 9 p.m. as the plane was approaching Runway 33.
The flight — operated by PSA for American Airlines — departed from Wichita, Kansas, around 5:20 p.m., the FAA said in a statement. In a statement, American Airlines said it was aware of the incident and confirmed there were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the CRJ700 series aircraft.
Earlier footage from an observation camera near the Kennedy Center captured the moment in which two sets of lights, consistent with an aircraft, appeared to explode.
Emergency fireboats are currently on the scene and a helicopter with the Metropolitan Police Department is being used to assist in the multiagency response, according to officials.
It is not known at this time how many people were injured in the crash.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo said first responders were pooled from across the D.C. region, including emergency personnel from Fairfax and Montgomery counties.
#BREAKING: A catastrophic midair collision occurred above Reagan National Airport when a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 Military helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m.… pic.twitter.com/3KMF2D1a0N
— News.Az (@news_az) January 30, 2025
