Officials reported that a military helicopter and a regional jet with 64 people on board collided in mid-air. Footage from the Kennedy Center webcam captured the fiery collision over the Potomac River.
Fire boats and at least three helicopters are being deployed to search for victims in the freezing river. The incident has been classified as a mass casualty event, with numerous fatalities reported.
The Kennedy Center webcam captured the mid-air explosion over the Potomac.
The Metropolitan Police Department announced that a “multi-agency search and rescue operation is underway in the Potomac River” following the crash. Arlington first responders are among those dispatched to the site.
The crash occurred around 8:50 p.m. Preliminary information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicates that a CRJ700 regional jet collided with a Sikorsky H-60 military helicopter while approaching Runway 33 at National Airport.
The FAA confirmed that American Airlines Flight 5342, traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to DCA, was the downed jet.
“The FAA and NTSB will investigate,” the FAA stated. “The NTSB will lead the investigation.”
NBC News reports that the helicopter was an Army Black Hawk, and there is “no indication of any criminality or terrorism in the crash.” Reuters reported that three soldiers were on board the helicopter. The military added that the helicopter was from Fort Belvoir and was on a training mission.
Entrances to the airport, including the bridge from the GW Parkway to the airport, have been closed to the public. There is a significant police presence along the Parkway, and parked cars are being towed.
Families of passengers and local officials have gathered at the airport. Flights to and from DCA are canceled until 11 a.m. Friday, according to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter at an early Thursday morning press conference.
“We’re in rescue mode,” Potter said. “We will continue in rescue mode. Everyone is on site doing their best.”
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy mentioned at the press conference that changes in flight paths are possible following the crash investigation.
With a total ground stop at the airport, inbound flights to DCA are being diverted, including to Dulles International. Metro is running extra Silver Line trains from Dulles in response.
The transit agency has sent warming buses to support rescue efforts and is working to assist diverted flights by running extra Silver Line trains and keeping the Silver Line open later to bring people downtown, according to WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke.
In air traffic control audio posted online, the DCA tower can be heard communicating with the helicopter. Audible gasps can be heard from the tower as the crash occurred.
“It is a tragic night in Arlington, our nation’s capital, and our region,” Arlington County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said in a brief statement. “We pray for the crew, passengers, and all victims and their families. We are responding with all means at our disposal in close coordination with our regional neighbors—our first priority is to save lives.”
It was 43 years ago this month that Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the icy Potomac shortly after departure, after striking the 14th Street Bridge. The U.S. Park Police Eagle 1 helicopter, famed for daring rescues following that crash, is among the helicopters involved in the rescue operation tonight.
Before the Air Florida crash, there was another mid-air collision involving a passenger plane and a military aircraft. On November 1, 1949, all 55 people aboard an Eastern Air Lines DC-4 aircraft died after a mid-air collision with a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft being test-flown by a Bolivian Air Force officer on an acceptance flight.
“We’re aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA), has been involved in an incident. We will provide information as it becomes available.”
— americanair (@AmericanAir) January 30, 2025
Contributors to this report include Vernon Miles, Jared Serre, James Jarvis, and Scott McCaffrey.
