An American Airways regional jet carrying 60 passengers crashed with a navy helicopter close to Washington D.C. Wednesday night. The 2 plane collided mid-air and crashed down into the Potomac River at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
On the time of the crash, the American Airways regional jet was carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew members. There have been three troopers onboard the navy Black Hawk helicopter, studies CBS Information.
First responders on the scene have recovered “not less than” 19 our bodies from the wreckage of the crash to this point. There have been no reported survivors:
American Eagle Flight No. 5242, which was operated by PSA Airways, collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter at round 9 p.m. Wednesday whereas approaching a runway at Reagan Nationwide Airport, the FAA mentioned. The aircraft had taken off from Wichita, Kansas.
American Eagle and PSA Airways are subsidiaries of American Airways.
The helicopter concerned within the collision was on a coaching flight and had belonged to B Firm, twelfth Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia, Joint Activity Drive-Nationwide Capitol Area media chief Heather Chairez instructed CBS Information.
In an announcement shared by American Airways, the journey operator mentioned: “Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the plane. We’re involved with authorities and helping with emergency response efforts.”
No passengers on the jet have been recognized and the navy confirmed that there have been no senior officers on the helicopter when it went down. Nonetheless, U.S. Determine Skating issued an announcement saying that “a number of members of our skating neighborhood had been sadly aboard American Airways Flight 5342,” based on an announcement shared with ABC Information.
Newly appointed protection secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned that the Military and Protection Division would “instantly” launch an investigation into the occasions that led as much as the collision, studies ABC Information. President Donald Trump has additionally made his ideas on the collision clear:
“I’ve been absolutely briefed on the horrible accident which simply passed off at Reagan Nationwide Airport. Might God Bless their souls. Thanks for the unimaginable work being accomplished by our first responders. I’m monitoring the state of affairs and can present extra particulars as they come up,” he wrote.
The president adopted up with a submit on Reality Social that appeared to be probing for additional solutions concerning the reason for the crash.
“Why didn’t the management tower inform the helicopter what to do as an alternative of asking in the event that they noticed the aircraft,” he wrote within the submit, including, “It is a dangerous state of affairs that appears prefer it ought to have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
The seek for any survivors continued late into the evening, with first responders tackling “extraordinarily tough” circumstances, defined District of Columbia hearth and emergency medical providers chief John Donnelly in an announcement.
The crash in D.C follows a tricky time for passenger aviation after a aircraft in Korea crashed whereas touchdown, killing 179 individuals onboard. A DHL cargo aircraft additionally crashed on the finish of final yr amid fears of Russian meddling, and a small aircraft crashed right into a warehouse in California earlier this month.