passenger plane crashed into river in Washington after collision with helicopter
A US Airways passenger plane, operated by PSA Airlines, traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan National Airport collided with a US military helicopter.
The plane, a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, was scheduled to land at the airport outside Washington, DC, on Wednesday evening when it collided in midair with the helicopter as it approached the runway, according to Federal Aviation Administration and Defense officials.
Flight records showed the plane was expected to land around 9 p.m. local time. The Metropolitan Police said they received calls at 8:53 p.m. about a “plane crash over the Potomac River.”
Heather Charisse, chief of information for the Joint Task Force for the National Capitol Region, told CNN that the US military’s Black Hawk helicopter was on a training flight at the time of the incident.
The 12th Airborne Division, based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, provides helicopter transport and “technical rescue support” to the National Capital Region. It remains unclear where the Black Hawk took off from before the crash.
On Wednesday evening, January 29, a plane crash occurred near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport – a passenger plane collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River.
According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the plane was operating American Airlines flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700 of the regional company PSA Airlines, which took off from Wichita, Kansas. There were 60 passengers and 4 crew members on board, CNN writes.
According to preliminary information, the plane collided with a military helicopter Black Hawk (H-60) of the US Army, which had three soldiers on board.
According to CBS News, a large-scale search and rescue operation began at the scene after the accident. The District of Columbia Police Department said it received the first calls about the crash at 8:53 p.m., local time.
White House response
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the crash and send his condolences to the families of the victims and specially to the Russian athletes who killed on the plane.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the crash, in cooperation with the FAA.
