ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A massive search and rescue effort was launched in the adjacent Potomac River on Wednesday after a passenger jet crashed with an Army helicopter during landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington.
Helicopters from law enforcement organizations throughout the region flew over the scene in search of survivors, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington were stopped. There was no immediate news on the number of casualties. From a location close to the airport on the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport, inflatable rescue boats were lowered into the Potomac River.
Vice President JD Vance urged followers on the social networking platform X to pray for all those affected, as President Donald Trump received a briefing, according to his press secretary.
A regional plane that had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter as it approached an airport runway at approximately 9 p.m. EST, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Regarding the passenger plane, a controller can be heard in the air traffic control tower’s audio around the time of the crash asking the helicopter, PAT25, if it had the CRJ in sight.
Did you see that, Tower? Shortly after the alleged collision, another pilot can be heard making a call.
At once, the tower started rerouting other planes away from Reagan.
American Airlines acknowledged allegations that one of their flights was involved in the incident in a social media post, and it promised to share further details as soon as they were available.
Two sets of lights that appear to unite in a fireball are seen on video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center.
The Kennedy Center’s webcam captured an explosion over the Potomac in midair.HInYdhBYs5: https://t.co/v75sxitpH6pic.twitter.com
According to the airport, there was an aircraft incident on the airstrip and emergency workers were responding.
The tragedy brought to mind the January 13, 1982, disaster of an Air Florida jet that killed 78 passengers when it crashed into the Potomac. The weather was blamed for that crash.
Other information was not readily accessible.
—-
This article was written in Washington by Chris Megerian, Zeke Miller, and Meg Kinnard for the Associated Press.
