Passenger jet collides with Army helicopter while landing at Washington airport

A jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington prompting a large searchandrescue operation in the nearby Potomac River reported news agency Associated PressThere were multiple fatalities according to a person familiar with the matter but the precise number of victims was unclear as rescue crews hunted for any survivors reported Associated PressThere was no immediate word on the cause of the collision but all takeoffs and landings from the Washington airport were halted while helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the sceneInflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a point along the George Washington Parkway just north of the Washington airport and first responders set up light towers from the shore to illuminate the area near the collision site At least a halfdozen boats are scanning the water using search lightsPresident Donald Trump said he had been fully briefed on this terrible accident and referring to the passengers added May God Bless their soulsThe Federal Aviation Administration said the midair crash occurred around 9 pm EST when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita Kansas collided with a military helicopter on a training flight while on approach to an airport runway It occurred in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world just over three miles south of the White House and the Capitol reported Associated PressInvestigators will try to piece together the aircrafts final moments before their collision including contact with air traffic controllers as well as a loss of altitude by the passenger jetAmerican Airlines Flight 5342 was inbound to Reagan National at an altitude of about 400 feet and a speed of about 140 miles per hour when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River according to data from its radio transponder The Canadianmade Bombardier CRJ701 twinengine jet manufactured in 2004 can be configured to carry up to 70 passengers reported Associated PressA few minutes before landing air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National and the pilots said they were able Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33 Flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway reported Associated PressLess than 30 seconds before the crash an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ Seconds after that the two aircraft collided reported Associated PressThe planes radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2400 feet short of the runway roughly over the middle of the riverVideo from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireballThe collision occurred on a warm winter evening in Washington with temperatures registering as high as 60 degrees Fahrenheit following a stretch days earlier of intense cold and ice On Wednesday the Potomac River was 36 degrees Fahrenheit according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Weather Service reported that wind gusts of up to 25 mph were possible in the area throughout the eveningThe US Army described the helicopter as a UH60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia A crew of three soldiers were onboard the helicopter an Army official said The helicopter was on a training flight Military aircraft frequently conduct training flights in and around the congested and heavilyrestricted airspace around the nations capital for familiarization and continuity of government planning reported Associated PressThe crash is serving as a major test for two of the Trump administrations newest agency leaders Pete Hegseth sworn in days ago as defense secretary posted on social media that an investigation has been launched immediately by the Army and the Defense Department Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy just sworn in earlier this week said in a social media post that he was at the FAA HQ and closely monitoring the situationThe Washington airport was to remain closed until 5 am FridayLocated along the Potomac River just southwest of the city Reagan National is a popular choice because its much closer than the larger Dulles International Airport which is deeper in VirginiaDepending on the runway being used flights into Reagan can offer passengers spectacular views of landmarks like the Washington Monument the Lincoln Memorial the National Mall and the US Capitol Its a postcardworthy welcome for tourists visiting the cityThe incident recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plummeted into the Potomac on January 13 1982 that killed 78 people That crash was attributed to bad weatherThe last fatal crash involving a US commercial airline occured in 2009 near Buffalo New York Everyone aboard the Bombardier DHC8 propeller plane was killed including 45 passengers 2 pilots and 2 flight attendants Another person on the ground also died bringing the total death toll to 50 An investigation determined that the captain accidentally caused the plane to stall as it approached the airport in BuffaloWith inputs from Associated Press