An American Airlines flight crashed into a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
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An American Airlines regional passenger plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter over the Potomac River as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on the night of Wednesday, Jan. 29.
In an initial statement to PEOPLE, the FAA said that 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.”
There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the jet, according to a statement from American Airlines. The flight had departed from Wichita, Kansas.
According to CNN, the U.S Army Black Hawk helicopter had three soldiers onboard.
“We can confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight’s incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. We are working with local officials and will provide additional information once it becomes available,” a U.S. Army official told the outlet in a statement.
In its own statement, Reagan National Airport said that all “all takeoffs and landings have been halted at DCA.”
The FAA and NTSB are set to investigate, with the NTSB leading.
The Metropolitan Police Department has yet to confirm any casualties.
Here’s the latest on the collision.American Airlines Flight 5342 Is the Deadliest U.S. Plane Crash Since 2001
The Wednesday, Jan. 29 collision over the Potomac River is the deadliest U.S. aircraft incident to occur since Nov. 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into Belle Harbor, Queens, and killed all 260 individuals on board.
The Queens incident took place just two months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which claimed the lives of 2,996 individuals and remains the deadliest U.S. aircraft incident in history.
The Potomac River incident is also the first fatal commercial plane crash to take place in the U.S. since 2009, when a Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane crashed close to Buffalo, N.Y., which resulted in the death of all 45 passengers as well as four crew members on board.
