Passenger Jet Collides with Helicopter While Landing at Reagan Airport
A passenger jet collided with a helicopter while landing at Reagan Washington National Airport, according to the FAA. No major injuries were reported.
A serious incident occurred near Washington, D.C., when a passenger jet collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night. The crash happened around 9 p.m. EST, sparking a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.
There were no immediate reports on whether anyone was injured or killed. As a result of the crash, the airport stopped all incoming and outgoing flights, and helicopters from law enforcement agencies were sent to help with the rescue efforts. Inflatable rescue boats were launched from the George Washington Parkway, which is just north of the airport, to search the river for survivors.
President Donald Trump was briefed about the incident, and Vice President JD Vance asked people on social media to “say a prayer for everyone involved.” The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the crash took place when a regional jet, which had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter while the jet was approaching the airport.
A recording from the air traffic control tower captured a conversation with the helicopter, asking if it could see the passenger plane. Just moments after the collision, another pilot called out in disbelief, asking, “Did you see that?” The tower immediately began redirecting other planes from the area to prevent further accidents.
American Airlines, one of the airlines that may have been involved, confirmed it was aware of the incident and promised to release more details once they were available. A video from a camera at the nearby Kennedy Center captured what appeared to be two aircraft colliding and then exploding in a fireball.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene to respond to what was being described as an “aircraft incident.” The crash is reminiscent of a tragic event in 1982 when an Air Florida flight crashed into the Potomac River, killing 78 people.
At the moment, no further information about the crash or the condition of the passengers and crew members has been released. The situation remains under investigation.
