American Airlines jet collides with helicopter over Potomac
By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square
A commercial plane collided with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., and crashed into the Potomac River, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA confirms the flight was a commuter jet, American Airlines 5342, out of Wichita, Kan. The aircraft “collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport” around 9 p.m. local time.
A massive emergency response is focusing on the Potomac River in search of survivors, according to local reports. American Airlines says there were 60 passengers and four crew members onboard at the time of the crash.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the collision during an interview on Fox News, Leavitt says the helicopter was a military aircraft.
Reagan, referred to locally as DCA, is located directly across the Potomac from Bolling Air Force Base and less than a mile south of the Pentagon. There is no word on which military installation the helicopter may have been flying out of prior to the crash. DCA is also in close proximity to Andrews Air Force Base, home of Air Force One, Ft. Belvoir and Quantico Marine Base.
The weather in the D.C. area was clear during the time of the collision.