There were around 60 people aboard the regional passenger plane before it crashed with a helicopter on Wednesday, Jan. 29

There has been no confirmation of survivors being pulled from the freezing Potomac River.

American Airline Plane Crash: Emergency crews have recovered 18 bodies from the Potomac River following the midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a military Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport on 29 January 2025. The plane collision has resulted in a grim search and rescue operation, with no survivors recovered so far. Authorities describe the wreckage as severely fragmented, making...

Rescue crews will return to the Potomac River on Friday morning as they continue searching for victims of Wednesday night's deadly midair collision.

A helicopter collided with a passenger plane that was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington on Wednesday night. Police and Coast Guard helicopters are seen in the video, along with sirens from boats and vehicles on the ground, searching the Potomac River for survivors. Footage from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Centre and CCTV cameras captured a fireball followed by a cloud of smoke. Drivers also captured the crash on dashcam cameras. The plane was reportedly a Bombardier CRJ-700 used by American Eagle, a regional brand of American Airlines, with around 60 people onboard. Records show that Flight 5342, being operated by PSA Airlines, was flying from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). It was on approach to the runway when the helicopter approached from the starboard side and smashed into the aircraft, shortly before 9pm local time. The White House confirmed the commercial airliner collided with a military helicopter while on approach to Reagan National Airport The Federal Aviation Administration said the helicopter was a Black Hawk. The FAA said an investigation has been launched. All take-offs and landings from the airport near Washington have been halted. Ronald Reagan National Airport is in the centre of the nation's capital, near major federal institutions including the White House and Congress. It is also across the river from The Pentagon, the US Department of Defence, in Arlington, Virginia.