Chilling moment when American Airlines passenger jet collided with military chopper mid-air | Video
A passenger jet from American Airlines collided mid-air with a military chopper near Washington. The incident near Ronald Reagan National Airport.
A chilling video of the passenger jet colliding with a military chopper mid-air in the United States has emerged on social media. The incident happened on Wednesday near Washington while an attempted landing at the Ronald Reagan National Airport, reported news agency Associated Press. The airport is now on high alert and all fights have been grounded.
A blurry video of the incident, which is now in wide circulation on social media, shows the horrifying moment when the crash happened. In the video, a mid-air jet and a smaller aerial vehicle, supposedly the military chopper, are seen colliding followed by a blast in the air. Both the aerial vehicles are seen blasting into a huge blob of fire in the air, shows the video.
The passenger jet involved in the crash belonged to American Airlines. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the airlines said, “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.”
Sixty passengers and four crew members were on the American Airlines flight 5342, reported CBS News. Three US Army soldiers were onboard the Black Hawk Sikorsky H-60, an official told CBS.
The flight suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River, according to data from its radio transponder.
Ronald Reagan Airport has suspended all aircraft take-offs and landings in response to the incident at the airfield, the airport operator said in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump, in response to the incident, has released a statement saying, "I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
The rescue ops are ongoing.
