Washington: An American Airlines regional passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair and crashed into the icy Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, according to officials.
CBS News reported that at least 18 bodies had been recovered from the water, citing a police official. Reuters also confirmed multiple bodies were pulled from the river. American Airlines confirmed that 64 people were on board the jet, including 60 passengers and four crew members. The Army confirmed that three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.
Relatives of those on the flight and helicopter gathered at the airport, expressing frustration over the lack of information from officials. One woman was overheard telling an airport official, “I don’t know if she got on there or not,” referring to a loved one on the jet. She later collapsed in tears.
Multiple deaths have been reported after an American Airlines regional passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the Potomac River after a midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport https://t.co/tl4kHlGefV pic.twitter.com/t3W8T31QtM
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 30, 2025
Hamaad Raza, waiting at Reagan airport for his wife, shared his distress with local CBS affiliate WUSA. “She texted me that she was landing in 20 minutes,” he said. “The rest of my text didn’t … did not get delivered. That’s when I realized that something might be up. I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now.”
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The U.S. Army later confirmed that the involved aircraft was a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
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This incident marks the first fatal U.S. passenger airplane crash since February 2009. However, recent near-miss incidents have raised significant concerns about aviation safety.
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In 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 tragically crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River, killing 70 passengers and four crew members, with only five survivors.
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A web camera at the Kennedy Center captured an explosion across the Potomac River around 8:47 p.m. (0147 GMT), showing an aircraft in flames plummeting rapidly toward the water.
