Collision in air: Details about plane and helicopter crash near Washington

Contents

• What happened
• Trump believes tragedy "could have been avoided"
• The rescue operation continues: Current number of victims named
• Who was on board of plane and helicopter
• First major air disaster in USA in almost 16 years

What happened

A Bombardier CRJ700 passenger plane from American Airlines was performing regional flight 5342 from Wichita (Kansas state). During the approach for landing (the aircraft was supposed to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington), it collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter.

The air disaster occurred around 9:00 p.m. local time (4:00 a.m. Kyiv time). It was expected that the passenger aircraft would land during this time. However, the Columbia County police reported receiving a call at 8:53 p.m. about the crash. Both aircraft fell into the Potomac River after the collision.

Video footage of the air disaster was captured on camera. The footage shows the two aircraft colliding in the sky, resulting in a fiery explosion.

According to Columbia County Mayor Muriel Bowser, there were 64 people on board the passenger plane, and 3 military personnel on board the military helicopter, which was conducting a training flight.

Photo: after the collision, the plane fell into the Potomac River and broke into pieces (Getty Images)

One of the witnesses describes the air disaster as follows: "At first, I saw the plane, and it looked fine. It was right above the ground, maybe 120 feet (36.5 m) above the water. A few seconds later, the plane tilted sharply to the right more than 90 degrees. I saw its underside. It was lit up with bright yellow, and there were sparks below it, then everything went dark."

CNN publishes a transcript of the air traffic controller's audio recording, giving instructions to the helicopter. The controller first asked the helicopter pilot if they saw the plane in their line of sight, and then instructed them to fly behind the passenger plane.

In the audio recording, just before the collision, the helicopter pilot can be heard saying: "PAT 2-5 [helicopter] sees the plane in its line of sight, requesting visual separation." Less than 13 seconds later, a sigh from the military helicopter crew is heard in the audio recording. After that, the collision occurred.

The cause of the tragedy is still unknown. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described the event as "absolutely tragic" and stated that the army and Pentagon immediately began investigating the causes of the air disaster.

Trump believes tragedy "could have been avoided"

CNN notes that the airspace above Ronald Reagan National Airport is one of the busiest in the country, and passenger planes often share airspace with helicopters. However, after the crash, Ronald Reagan Washington Airport will be closed until 5:00 a.m. Friday local time (12:00 p.m. Kyiv time).

US President Donald Trump reacted to the tragedy. In his opinion, the military helicopter crew should have changed course, and thus the tragedy "could have been avoided."

"The plane was on an ideal and usual approach trajectory for landing. The helicopter flew directly at the plane for a long time. Clear night! The plane had its lights on, why didn’t the helicopter go up, down, or make a turn? Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do, instead of asking if they saw the plane? This is a bad situation that, apparently, could have been prevented," Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social.

The rescue operation continues: Current number of victims named

The reports indicate that the plane broke into several parts due to the collision and crash. Currently, a rescue operation is underway at the site, with 300 rescuers, including police officers and divers, working. The operations are taking place in the waters of the Potomac River in near-freezing temperatures.

Photo: the cause of the air disaster is still unknown, rescuers are working at the scene (Getty Images)

The area where the divers are working is about 8 feet (2.4 meters) deep. The total depth of the river is 24 feet (7.3 meters). The water is dark and murky with floating chunks of ice. Therefore, the search is likely to continue for several days, according to rescuers. Furthermore, a decrease in air temperature and rain is expected, which will further complicate the search.

Media reports state that there are no survivors from the air disaster. In particular, CBS News writes that three debris areas were found in the water. According to the latest reports, at least 19 bodies have been found, but official data on the victims is still not available.

According to one CBS News correspondent, the dive team found what appears to be one of the plane's two black boxes. However, it is unclear if this is the voice recorder from the cockpit or the one storing flight data.

The divers have gained some access to the plane’s cabin. Among the findings are luggage. The helicopter was found overturned but appears to be almost undamaged, journalists add.

Photo: 300 rescuers are working at the scene (Getty Images)

Update from 1:39 p.m. More than 30 bodies have been pulled from the river after a plane crash near Washington, NBC reports

Two sources familiar with the rescue operation told the American television network that more than 30 bodies had been pulled from the Potomac River, where an American Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk military helicopter crashed. The rescue operation is ongoing in difficult conditions.

Who was on board of plane and helicopter

The Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash was based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It was performing a training flight. The aircraft belonged to Company B of the 12th Aviation Battalion. A US Department of Defense representative told CBS News that there were three soldiers on board the helicopter, but no senior officials.

As for the passenger plane, there were 60 passengers and 4 crew members on board. The US Figure Skating Federation reported that athletes were on board the crashed aircraft.

However, their names and other details were not provided. Meanwhile, Russian media sources state that former Russian figure skaters now coaches Yevgena Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, might have been aboard the plane.

Photo: the plane broke into several parts, and its wreckage is at a depth of 1.5-2.5 meters (Getty Images)

According to the BBC, there were several figure skaters aboard the Bombardier CRJ700 flight 5342. These were athletes, coaches, and their family members returning home from the National Development Camp, held alongside the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. This championship took place from January 20-26.

In the Russian Federation of Figure Skating, it was stated that there were no Russian citizens aboard the plane that crashed in Washington. According to them, "these were US citizens of Russian origin who participated in the championship."

First major air disaster in USA in almost 16 years

CBS News points out that the air disaster over Washington is the first major tragedy involving a commercial aircraft in the United States in almost 16 years.

According to journalists, the last accident of a similar magnitude occurred in the US in February 2009. At that time, a Continental Airlines plane, performing a flight from Newark (New Jersey) to Buffalo (New York), crashed into a building during its approach for landing at the airport. This was a Bombardier Q400 aircraft. As a result of the tragedy, 49 people were killed.

Sources: CBS News, CNN, and BBC.