Air tragedy in Washington: American Airlines plane and military helicopter collide in midair
An American Airlines regional aircraft carrying 64 people and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in midair and crashed into the icy Potomac River near Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday night, resulted in 67 fatalities.
Flight and Collision Details
American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines (a regional subsidiary of American Airlines), was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. The aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ-700, was en route to Reagan Airport when the mid-air collision occurred. The Black Hawk helicopter, conducting a training flight, had three soldiers on board.
According to air traffic control recordings available on liveatc.net, the controller attempted to communicate with the helicopter, identified as PAT25, moments before the impact. At 8:47 p.m., the controller can be heard saying: “PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ.” Seconds later, another aircraft reported the accident, asking: “Tower, did you see that?”
The impact was captured on camera, showing an explosion that illuminated the night sky. “I saw a fireball, and then it disappeared. I haven’t seen anything since they crashed into the river,” a controller was heard saying over the radio.
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Victims and personalities on board
Among the flight’s passengers were figure skaters, family members, and coaches returning from events in Wichita, Kansas. Among them were former world champion figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who worked as coaches and were traveling with a group of young skaters. According to Russian media outlet Mash, at least 13 skaters, many of them children of Russian immigrants in the United States, were on board.
Rescue Operations and Adverse Conditions
John Donnelly, Washington D.C.’s fire chief, described the conditions as “very harsh,” with freezing temperatures and strong winds. Dan DePodwin, senior director of forecasting operations at AccuWeather, explained that in such cold waters, body temperature can drop rapidly, leading to exhaustion or loss of consciousness within just 15 to 30 minutes.
The airport will remain closed until at least 11 a.m. on Thursday, according to airport authority CEO Potter.
Investigation and Reactions
The Pentagon has announced an investigation to determine the causes of the accident. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump questioned the actions of the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers in a post on Truth Social, describing the night as clear and suggesting that the accident could have been prevented: “This is a bad situation that seems like it should have been avoided. NOT GOOD!”
American Airlines has expressed its cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the investigation. Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines, assured that they will provide all available information.
Historical Context
This tragic event recalls other air accidents in the Washington D.C. area. The most notable was Air Florida Flight 90 in 1982, which crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River, resulting in the deaths of 70 passengers and four crew members. Only four people survived. The last fatal crash involving a commercial aircraft in the United States occurred in 2009, when a Colgan Air flight crashed in New York state, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground.
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