A passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter collided in midair Wednesday and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., officials said.
The plane, American Eagle Flight No. 5342, a regional jetliner, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, CBS News learned. There were three soldiers aboard the Sikorsky H-60, a Defense Department official told CBS News.
District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly told reporters in a news briefing Thursday morning that 27 bodies had been recovered from the plane and one from the helicopter.
“We don’t believe there are any survivors,” he said, adding that the efforts at the scene have switched form a rescue operation to a recovery operation.
Here’s what we know so far about the crash:
What happened?
American Eagle Flight No. 5242, which was operated by PSA Airlines, collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter at around 9 p.m. Wednesday while approaching a runway at Reagan National Airport, the FAA said. The plane had taken off from Wichita, Kansas.
American Eagle and PSA Airlines are subsidiaries of American Airlines.
The helicopter involved in the collision was on a training flight and had belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia, Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region media chief Heather Chairez told CBS News.
A livestream camera at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., captured the moment of the collision. The video, which has been verified by CBS News, shows an explosion in the area of the Potomac River at 8:47 p.m. Eastern.
Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
What we know about the victims and the search for survivors
D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly told reporters in a news briefing Thursday morning that 27 bodies had been recovered from the plane and one from the helicopter.
He said, “We don’t believe there are any survivors,” adding that the efforts at the scene have switched from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.
“It’s a highly complex operation, the conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders. It’s cold. They’re dealing with relatively windy conditions,” Donnelly said.
CBS News senior transportation and national correspondent Kris Van Cleave reported that human remains and debris were washing up on the Virginia side of the Potomac River.
He said the plane broke into multiple pieces that were sitting in 5-8 feet of water.
A dive team found what appears to be one of the plane’s two data recorders — the so-called black boxes. It wasn’t clear whether it was the cockpit voice recorder or the one that stores data about the plane’s performance.
Divers have had some access to the aircraft’s cabin.
Luggage is among items divers have recovered.
The helicopter is upside down but appears to be mostly intact, Van Cleave added.
Politicians react to the crash
President Trump said in a statement he had been fully briefed on the crash. “May God Bless their souls,” he said. “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.”
And in a Truth Social post, he questioned what led up to the crash, writing, “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
Newly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on social media that the Pentagon was actively monitoring the situation and “poised to assist if needed.”
Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said in a statement, “Tonight, we received devastating news of what can only be described as nothing short of a nightmare … My prayer is that God wraps his arms around each and every victim, and that he continues to be with their families.”
Alexandria, Virginia, Mayor Alyia Gaskins said on social media, “Earlier this evening, we were devastated to learn of a tragic aviation incident near DCA. Our prayers are with everyone affected. Our fire, police, and emergency personnel are assisting in the regional response.” Alexandria is just south of Reagan Washington National Airport.
The first major U.S. commercial crash in almost 16 years
The last major U.S. commercial air crash occurred in February 2009 when a Continental Airlines flight out of Newark, New Jersey, operated by Colgan Air crashed into a house as it was approaching the airport in Buffalo, New York. That plane was a Bombardier Q400. Forty-nine people died in the tragedy. Continental merged with United Airlines in 2010.
The last major American Airlines crash occurred in November 2001 near John F. Kennedy International Airport. American Airlines Flight No. 587, an Airbus A300, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 265 people. It was bound for Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The plane crashed in the Belle Harbor area of the Rockaways in the New York City borough of Queens.
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James LaPorta and
contributed to this report.