Updated 19 meters ago
Police officer says at least 18 killed
At the scene, a police officer told CBS News that at least 18 bodies were recovered by ET at 11:30 am. The official said that no one was found to have been found till now.
All flights grounded at Reagan Washington National Airport
Following the crash, all flights were grounded Wednesday night at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which is located in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. An announcement at the airport said it will not reopen before 5 a.m. Thursday. All passengers with grounded flights have been directed to rebook.
President Trump briefed on crash, releases statement
The White House released a statement from President Trump Wednesday night.
He said: “I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
Later he posted on Truth Social: “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!!!”
Helicopter was on training flight
The Army said the Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash was based out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
The helicopter was on a training flight at the time of the accident, a spokesperson for the Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region, Heather Chairez, told CBS News. Chairez said the chopper belonged to the B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion.
A Defense Department official told CBS News that three soldiers were aboard the helicopter, with no senior officials on board.
Search operations underway in Potomac River
Search and rescue efforts were underway in the Potomac River following the crash. A police official at the scene told CBS News there were three debris fields in the water.
“The accident happened in the river,” a dispatcher said in scanner audio obtained from air traffic control. “Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river.”
64 people aboard flight from Wichita, Kansas
A plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers Wednesday night while trying to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, D.C.
“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 said in a statement.
The plane, operated by American Airlines, had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, the FAA said.