Civilian plane, military helicopter collide US capital, crashing into Potomac River

A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night, prompting a massive emergency response, authorities reported.

Midair collision near Reagan National Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700, operating as American Eagle Flight 5342, was on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan National when it collided with a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at approximately 9 p.m. local time.

The regional jet had departed from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, according to American Airlines. The Black Hawk was on a routine training flight, the U.S. Army said, with three soldiers on board. The status of those aboard both aircraft remains unclear.

White House Spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News that President Donald Trump has been made aware of the incident.

“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,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.

Trump says mid-air collision near Washington’s airport ‘should have been prevented’

U.S. President Donald Trump said early Thursday that a midair collision near Washington’s Reagan Airport “should have been prevented.”

“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. 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? This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!” Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social.

Emergency response underway

A multi-agency search and rescue operation is ongoing in the Potomac River, where divers and fireboats have been deployed. Washington police have not confirmed casualty figures, but local reports indicate multiple bodies have been pulled from the water.

The collision led to the immediate grounding of flights at Reagan National, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the deployment of Coast Guard resources to aid in the response.

Eyewitness accounts describe fireball in the sky

Ari Schulman, who witnessed the incident, described the collision as producing “a stream of sparks” in the sky, resembling a large firework. “It looked like a Roman candle,” he told CNN.

Trump said he had been “fully briefed” on the crash and expressed condolences, stating, “May God bless their souls.”

American Airlines, whose subsidiary operated the flight, said “there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.”

A U.S. Army official said the helicopter involved was a Black Hawk model carrying three soldiers—their status is currently unknown. They had been on a “training flight,” a separate military spokesperson said in a statement.

Washington police said, “there is no confirmed information on casualties at this time.”

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas said the collision was “nothing short of a nightmare.”

“I ask the world to join me in praying for Kansas this evening, the first responders, rescue crews, and all those involved in this horrific accident,” he wrote on X.

In a post on X, American Airlines said that it was “aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been involved in an incident.”

The airport said all takeoffs and landings have been halted, adding that “emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open.”

Marshall said the plane was carrying roughly 60 passengers, adding: “My prayer is that God wraps his arms around each and every victim and that he continues to be with their families.”

History of airspace challenges in Washington

The crash raises concerns about air traffic control and collision avoidance in Washington’s busy airspace, which accommodates both commercial and military flights.

The incident is being compared to past aviation disasters, including the 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 crash into the Potomac, which killed 78 people.

FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators are on-site, and the cause of the collision remains under investigation.