Washington horror: Jet with 64 on board collides with chopper mid-air. Details here

Search and rescue efforts are ongoing in the Potomac River, with teams working to bring survivors to safety, said IAFF President Edward Kelly.

A passenger jet with 64 people on board and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided while landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, prompting an emergency response and halting all flights.

Emergency crews respond to the crash site near the Potomac River after a passenger jet collided with a helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Bloomberg)

“All takeoffs and landings have been halted at DCA. Emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open. Will update,” Reagan Airport said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Follow all latest updates of Reagan Airport plane crash

American Airlines Flight 5342, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, the airline said. US Army officials have confirmed that three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.

Here are the details of the crash

• American Airlines has provided a toll-free number, 800-679-8215, for people who believe they may have loved ones on board AA flight 5342. Those calling from outside the US can visit news.aa.com for additional contact details, while family members in Canada, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands can call the same number directly.
• The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash, with the NTSB taking the lead, as confirmed in a statement from the FAA to USA TODAY.
• Search and rescue efforts are ongoing in the Potomac River, with teams working to bring survivors to safety, said IAFF President Edward Kelly.
• Maryland governor Wes Moore said state police divers have been sent to the site of the plane-helicopter crash in the Potomac River. He added that the state's Emergency Operations Center has been elevated to “Enhanced” status for support.
• The Washington Post quoted unnamed sources saying that police had started to pull multiple bodies from the Potomac.
• President Donald Trump said he had been "fully briefed" and said of any victims, “may God bless their souls.”
• Witness Ari Schulman described seeing a plane with a bright yellow underside and sparks trailing beneath it shortly after a collision overhead, resembling a large firework.
• A video filmed by Washington, DC resident Abadi Ismail captured rescue operations over the Potomac River following the mid-air collision.
• Officials said the Army helicopter that collided with passenger jet near DC's Reagan National Airport was on training flight.

With agencies inputs