An American Airlines regional passenger plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter over the Potomac River as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on the night of Wednesday, Jan. 29.
In an initial statement to PEOPLE, the FAA said that a “PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time.”
There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the jet, according to a statement from American Airlines.
According to CNN, U.S Army Black Hawk helicopter had three soldiers onboard.
“We can confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight’s incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. We are working with local officials and will provide additional information once it becomes available,” a U.S. Army official told the outlet in a statement.
In its own statement, Reagan National Airport said that all “all takeoffs and landings have been halted at DCA.”
The FAA and NTSB are set to investigate, with the NTSB leading.
The Metropolitan Police Department has yet to confirm any casualties.
Here’s the latest on the collision.
In a video statement shared on the airline’s website, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed “our deep sorrow about these events.” “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones,” the statement began.
“I know that there are many questions, and at this early stage, I’ll not be able to answer all of them,” Isom continued, before sharing information about the flight and confirming the number of people onboard.
“We are actively working with local, state and federal authorities on emergency response efforts, and the American Airlines care team has been activated to assist our passengers and their families,” Isom added. “We’re cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation, and we’ll continue to provide all the information we can. Our cooperation is without pause, and we want to learn everything we can about today’s events. That work will take time, but anything we can do now, we’re doing, and right now that means focusing on taking care of all passengers and crew involved, as well as their families.”
At least 19 bodies had been recovered from the Potomac River by 2:50 a.m. ET, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CBS News.
The official added to the outlet that no survivors had been found so far.
1994 pairs figure skating world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were traveling on the American Airlines flight that crashed into the Potomac River on Wednesday, Jan. 29, reported Reuters and The Guardian, citing the TASS and RIA news agencies in Russia.
Shishkova and Naumov, who were reportedly married, lived in the U.S. Their son, Maxim, was traveling with them at the time of the accident, the outlets added.
Maxim had recently competed at the U.S. figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas, according to Olympics.com, and has represented the U.S. in singles skating.
U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that “several members of our skating community” were on the American Airlines plane involved in the incident.
“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” the governing body added.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” U.S. Figure Skating continued. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
In a late night press conference, officials stressed there was not much they could say about ongoing rescue operations, including whether bodies had been recovered from the water.
“The focus now is rescuing people and that’s what all of our personnel are focused on,” said Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, later adding, “All we can confirm tonight is the number of people on each aircraft.”
Asked directly if there were any survivors, DC Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said, “We don’t know yet, but we are working.”
Donnelly, who confirmed 300 responders are working, said search efforts are “highly complex” due to “extremely rough” conditions. Search-and-rescue operations are expected to take days.
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter also said that a center has been set up for friends and family who were already at the airport “to pick up loved ones.”
Although officials did not announce any deaths, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said, “When one person dies it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die it’s an unbearable sorrow.”
Speaking live on CNN minutes later, Marshall stated that he had not received any confirmation of fatalities, but that “I’m just afraid it’s not a good situation.”
“It is way too soon to tell exactly what happened, but this looks like a couple things went wrong,” according to an Army helicopter pilot who spoke to PEOPLE.
“The tower asked the Black Hawk if they had the plane in sight, and the Black Hawk probably thought they did, but were looking at the wrong airplane,” the pilot adds. “It’s tough to see at night, even for a pilot. You can miss things.”
The pilot says “that’s where” the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System comes in.
“It’s a system that helps prevent mid-air collisions. It uses radio signals and radar to monitor aircraft, and it sends warnings to aircraft if they’re in danger of a collision,” the pilot adds. “It works very well. But it has to be turned on. Did one or both aircraft forget to turn it on?”
The pilot reiterates that it’s “really too soon to know.”
“This will take lots and lots of very careful work, combing through what happened,” the pilot adds.
— Susan Katz Keating
The American Airlines flight reportedly split in half after the collision on Wednesday, according to NBC4, citing two first responder sources.
According to the sources, the Army Black Hawk helicopter it collided with is upside down in the river, and rescuers cannot enter due to its precarious position.
NBC Chief meteorologist Doug Kammerer said that at the time of the incident, the water temperature in the Potomac River was around 37 degrees Fahrenheit.
At that temperature, someone in the water has only 15 to 20 minutes before they start suffering from hypothermia, according to Kammerer.
There were three American soldiers on board the Army aircraft, according to Reuters, ABC News and Fox News.
“No senior officials onboard the Blackhawk helicopter that crashed into American Airlines flight near Reagan National Airport: U.S. Army official,” Jennifer Griffin, chief national security correspondent for Fox News, tweeted Wednesday, Jan. 29.
She added that according to the Army, there were three soldiers on board.
During a live interview on NBC4, Ari Schulman said he was near the airport, driving on George Washington Memorial Parkway right before the crash took place.
“It looked very, very wrong,” Schulman said, sharing that he also saw “a stream of sparks” followed by a “very bright flash.”
Speaking with CNN affiliate WUSA, Hamaad Raza said that his wife was on the plane – and that he’d received a text from his wife when the plane was about 20 minutes from landing. However, he said that his reply never got delivered.
“I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now as we speak,” Raza told the outlet.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation.
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls,” Trump said in a statement. “Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.
Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. Vance asked for prayers.
CNN’s aviation expert Pete Muntean — whose pilot mother died in a 2006 plane crash — said during a live broadcast that it’s “very tragic on its face that [this crash] was even able to happen.”
Noting recent near-miss incidents at airports nationwide, he added, “The warnings had been lighting up in red for years that there could be a collision on or near the runways of a commercial airport, and the NTSB investigated incident after incident involving commercial flights coming too close in contact — we’re talking hundreds of feet on the runways at U.S. airports.”
“A midair collision is something that is incredibly rare, and really has not included a commercial flight in decades,” he continued.
The Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement that multiple agencies are coordinating search and rescue efforts in the Potomac River and “there is no confirmed information on casualties at this time.”
The four people were removed from the river and taken to a local hospital, according to NBC 4.
Audio Shows There Was No Response from Helicopter After Warnings from Air Traffic Control
According to the Associated Press, less than 30 seconds before the collision occurred, an air traffic controller was heard asking the helicopter if they could see the jet. Moments later, another call was made.
Flight tracking audio did not contain any response from the helicopter, but seconds after the calls, the crash took place.
The passenger jet was scheduled to land at 9:03 p.m. local time.
In a statement at 10:00 p.m. local time, American Airlines confirmed the number of people on board American Eagle Flight 5342, which was traveling from Wichita, Kansas (ICT), to Washington, D.C.
“Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts,” their statement read.
“If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215,” they added. “Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can call 800-679-8215 directly.”
“We are closely monitoring the aviation collision incident that occurred earlier this evening near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The State of Maryland and local authorities are engaged in response.”