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9 hours ago
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UPDATED: The bodies of 19 people have reportedly been recovered after an American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C.
The American Eagle flight 5342, operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. It collided with a Sikorsky H-60 Blackhawk, carrying three people, over the Potomac River.
Russian state media reported that Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, Russian-born ice skating coaches and former world champions, were on board the PSA plane.
American Airlines said in a statement: “There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.” It identified the flight as American Eagle flight 5342 operated by PSA. According to the company’s web site, PSA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American.
At a 1 a.m. press conference, officials maintained that the operation was still a rescue effort, though Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall assumed fatalities.
“We mourn with the families who’ve lost loved ones,” he said. Later asked by CNN if he had had fatalities confirmed to him Marshall said, “No, but I’m a physician and I’m not stupid. There have been no ambulances leaving here.”
Earlier in the night, the FAA issued the following statement:
A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time. PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas. The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation.
In a social media post, President Donald Trump, who had been fully briefed according to the White House, questioned how the crash happened. “It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane,” he wrote. “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.”
DC police confirmed the crash had taken place over the Potomac River and that search and rescue operations were taking place in the river itself. A fire official said the water that dive crews were working in is about eight feet deep, filled with ice and murky. The temperature in the area is expected to “drop below freezing…with lows in the 20s,” according to the National Weather Service. Flights into and out of the airport were quickly halted.
First reports of the crash came in about 8:53 p.m. ET. Some initial reports identified the helicopter as a DCPD aircraft. Police officials debunked that contention.
Fox News, CNN and MSNBC quickly jumped to coverage with updates from reporters on the scene detailing rescue efforts on the river. They also played dramatic footage of what appeared to be a mid-air crash not far off the ground and then the flash of an explosion.
The White House also issued the following statement from President Donald Trump:
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.
