'Nothing short of a nightmare': Deadly collision between jet and helicopter near Reagan National Airport
A tragic incident occurred when a passenger plane with 64 individuals on board collided with an Army helicopter carrying three personnel. "May God bless their souls," President Donald Trump remarked in response to the accident.
TroibNews 
A regional passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter late Wednesday at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, leading to an urgent nighttime rescue operation in the Potomac River. This incident appears to be the most severe aviation calamity in the United States in over a decade.
According to American Airlines, the jet had 60 passengers and four crew members on board. A defense official reported that three personnel were present on the military helicopter, which was on a training flight.
"We know there are fatalities," Sen. Ted Cruz, chair of the committee overseeing aviation, wrote on X.
Social media video documented what looked like a fireball at the moment of the collision.
Authorities have not yet verified the number of casualties. However, this incident, located just across the Potomac River from the U.S. Capitol, is likely to raise further concerns among lawmakers about the factors affecting the United States' historically strong aviation safety record, especially following more than two years of increased anxiety over near-misses at airports nationwide.
The crash occurred while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lacks a permanent administrator and just one day after the Senate confirmed Sean Duffy as President Donald Trump’s Transportation secretary.
The Bombardier CRJ700, operated by PSA Airlines, and the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter collided while the jet was approaching the runway at around 9 p.m. local time, as reported by the FAA. The regional airline was operating on behalf of American Airlines, arriving from Wichita, Kansas.
The helicopter was carrying three soldiers but no high-ranking officers, a defense official, who requested anonymity to discuss the situation, confirmed. Heather Chairez, media chief for the Pentagon's Joint Task Force in the national Capitol region, stated that the Army UH-60 helicopter was conducting a training flight.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during an interview on Fox News that “a military helicopter collided with a regional jet at DCA airport” and that Trump had been informed of the situation.
In his own statement, Trump added: "May God bless their souls."
Vice President JD Vance, in a post on X, urged Americans to “please say a prayer for everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport this evening,” concluding with, “We're monitoring the situation, but for now, let's hope for the best.”
Kansas senators and Rep. Ron Estes, representing Wichita, quickly took to social media after the crash to express their concern and to keep informed on developments.
"Tonight, we received devastating news of what can only be described as nothing short of a nightmare," wrote Sen. Roger Marshall. "A plane, traveling to the Nation's capital from Wichita, KS carrying roughly 60 passengers collided with a Military helicopter. My prayer is that God wraps his arms around each and every victim and that he continues to be with their families."
DCA is one of two airports serving the D.C. area, catering to both lawmakers and civilians. Rep. Eric Swalwell noted on X that he had landed at Reagan National just minutes before the incident.
The crash took place as the aircraft was approaching DCA’s Runway 33, an area recognized for its complex airspace due to restrictions in the Washington region. However, military and law enforcement helicopters routinely operate in the vicinity for training purposes.
The last fatal crash involving an airliner on U.S. soil occurred in July 2013, when a Korean jet landing at San Francisco International Airport resulted in three fatalities and over 180 injuries. The most recent incident involving a U.S. airline was a 2009 collision near Buffalo, New York, that claimed the lives of 49 individuals on a regional jet and one on the ground.
This recent disaster has rekindled memories of the January 1982 Air Florida crash, where a jet crashed into the 14th Street Bridge shortly after takeoff from what was then known as Washington National Airport. That incident resulted in 78 deaths, including four motorists, although five passengers were rescued from the Potomac. The National Transportation Safety Board later attributed the crash to pilot error.
Both the FAA and the NTSB are looking into the recent incident, with the NTSB leading the investigation.
The airport tweeted shortly before 9:15 p.m. that all takeoffs and landings had been suspended, with emergency teams responding to the situation on the airfield. The terminal remained operational.
For years, officials have warned about an increasing number of near-collisions on runways, with a sharp spike observed in 2023 among passenger jets. This surge coincided with a significant rebound in flight demand following the pandemic. Reports of fatigue, shortages among air traffic controllers, and aging FAA equipment have also risen concurrently.
In one notable incident in 2023 in Austin, Texas, a Southwest Airlines jet narrowly avoided a collision with a FedEx cargo plane by less than 100 feet. Investigators indicated that air traffic controllers had mistakenly cleared the cargo plane to land on the same runway where the Southwest flight was preparing for takeoff.
After a safety summit in early 2023, the FAA urged pilots and crew members to “reduce distractions” during crucial phases of flight, including take-off, landing, and taxiing, among other recommendations.
Although 2022 did not witness a similar rise in near-collisions, experts, safety advocates, FAA officials, and lawmakers all concurred that ongoing scrutiny is necessary to mitigate these incidents.
ALPA leader Jason Ambrosi, representing the majority of U.S. airline pilots, previously stated that advancements in pilot awareness and technology have been instrumental in addressing the trend, yet emphasized the need for long-term investments.
"You need to invest in the technology to help prevent this,” Ambrosi noted after a Senate aviation panel hearing in December. While some investments in alert systems at certain airports have been made, officials are advocating for additional technologies that would provide better situational awareness for controllers and pilots regarding runway movements.
Future cockpit-alerting technologies are currently under consideration, and Ambrosi expressed optimism, saying, "There is really good hope for [that] technology in the near future.”
Paul McLeary and Irie Sentner contributed to this report.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
According to American Airlines, the jet had 60 passengers and four crew members on board. A defense official reported that three personnel were present on the military helicopter, which was on a training flight.
"We know there are fatalities," Sen. Ted Cruz, chair of the committee overseeing aviation, wrote on X.
Social media video documented what looked like a fireball at the moment of the collision.
Authorities have not yet verified the number of casualties. However, this incident, located just across the Potomac River from the U.S. Capitol, is likely to raise further concerns among lawmakers about the factors affecting the United States' historically strong aviation safety record, especially following more than two years of increased anxiety over near-misses at airports nationwide.
The crash occurred while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lacks a permanent administrator and just one day after the Senate confirmed Sean Duffy as President Donald Trump’s Transportation secretary.
The Bombardier CRJ700, operated by PSA Airlines, and the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter collided while the jet was approaching the runway at around 9 p.m. local time, as reported by the FAA. The regional airline was operating on behalf of American Airlines, arriving from Wichita, Kansas.
The helicopter was carrying three soldiers but no high-ranking officers, a defense official, who requested anonymity to discuss the situation, confirmed. Heather Chairez, media chief for the Pentagon's Joint Task Force in the national Capitol region, stated that the Army UH-60 helicopter was conducting a training flight.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during an interview on Fox News that “a military helicopter collided with a regional jet at DCA airport” and that Trump had been informed of the situation.
In his own statement, Trump added: "May God bless their souls."
Vice President JD Vance, in a post on X, urged Americans to “please say a prayer for everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport this evening,” concluding with, “We're monitoring the situation, but for now, let's hope for the best.”
Kansas senators and Rep. Ron Estes, representing Wichita, quickly took to social media after the crash to express their concern and to keep informed on developments.
"Tonight, we received devastating news of what can only be described as nothing short of a nightmare," wrote Sen. Roger Marshall. "A plane, traveling to the Nation's capital from Wichita, KS carrying roughly 60 passengers collided with a Military helicopter. My prayer is that God wraps his arms around each and every victim and that he continues to be with their families."
DCA is one of two airports serving the D.C. area, catering to both lawmakers and civilians. Rep. Eric Swalwell noted on X that he had landed at Reagan National just minutes before the incident.
The crash took place as the aircraft was approaching DCA’s Runway 33, an area recognized for its complex airspace due to restrictions in the Washington region. However, military and law enforcement helicopters routinely operate in the vicinity for training purposes.
The last fatal crash involving an airliner on U.S. soil occurred in July 2013, when a Korean jet landing at San Francisco International Airport resulted in three fatalities and over 180 injuries. The most recent incident involving a U.S. airline was a 2009 collision near Buffalo, New York, that claimed the lives of 49 individuals on a regional jet and one on the ground.
This recent disaster has rekindled memories of the January 1982 Air Florida crash, where a jet crashed into the 14th Street Bridge shortly after takeoff from what was then known as Washington National Airport. That incident resulted in 78 deaths, including four motorists, although five passengers were rescued from the Potomac. The National Transportation Safety Board later attributed the crash to pilot error.
Both the FAA and the NTSB are looking into the recent incident, with the NTSB leading the investigation.
The airport tweeted shortly before 9:15 p.m. that all takeoffs and landings had been suspended, with emergency teams responding to the situation on the airfield. The terminal remained operational.
For years, officials have warned about an increasing number of near-collisions on runways, with a sharp spike observed in 2023 among passenger jets. This surge coincided with a significant rebound in flight demand following the pandemic. Reports of fatigue, shortages among air traffic controllers, and aging FAA equipment have also risen concurrently.
In one notable incident in 2023 in Austin, Texas, a Southwest Airlines jet narrowly avoided a collision with a FedEx cargo plane by less than 100 feet. Investigators indicated that air traffic controllers had mistakenly cleared the cargo plane to land on the same runway where the Southwest flight was preparing for takeoff.
After a safety summit in early 2023, the FAA urged pilots and crew members to “reduce distractions” during crucial phases of flight, including take-off, landing, and taxiing, among other recommendations.
Although 2022 did not witness a similar rise in near-collisions, experts, safety advocates, FAA officials, and lawmakers all concurred that ongoing scrutiny is necessary to mitigate these incidents.
ALPA leader Jason Ambrosi, representing the majority of U.S. airline pilots, previously stated that advancements in pilot awareness and technology have been instrumental in addressing the trend, yet emphasized the need for long-term investments.
"You need to invest in the technology to help prevent this,” Ambrosi noted after a Senate aviation panel hearing in December. While some investments in alert systems at certain airports have been made, officials are advocating for additional technologies that would provide better situational awareness for controllers and pilots regarding runway movements.
Future cockpit-alerting technologies are currently under consideration, and Ambrosi expressed optimism, saying, "There is really good hope for [that] technology in the near future.”
Paul McLeary and Irie Sentner contributed to this report.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
