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A US passenger jet carrying 64 people crashed into the Potomac River after a midair collision with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter during a nighttime training exercise. The incident occurred at approximately 9:00 PM (0200 GMT) on Wednesday as the aircraft was making its final approach to Washington's Reagan National Airport following its departure from Wichita, Kansas.
Less than 30 seconds before the collision, an air traffic controller at Reagan National Airport issued a call to the military helicopter: "PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight?" Moments later, another directive was given: "PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ."
There was no response from the helicopter. Seconds later, the two aircraft collided. A pilot observing the incident made an urgent call over the radio: "Tower, did you see that?"
Air Traffic Control gave the helicopter permission to pass the jet coming into DCA.
WTF 👀
pic.twitter.com/CCOW0N8UN3
— Texas Patriot (@Texasbrn) January 30, 2025
Audio from LiveATC.net, a repository for in-flight recording, captured the final communications between the crew members of the military chopper.
"Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three," one of the air traffic controllers can be heard saying, as reported by news agency Reuters.
American Airlines, whose regional subsidiary PSA Airlines operated the Bombardier CRJ-700, confirmed that 60 passengers and four crew members were on board the aircraft.
The US Army reported that the helicopter was engaged in a "training flight" at the time of the collision. The Black Hawk was carrying three soldiers.
Authorities launched a large-scale search and rescue operation immediately following the crash. Emergency crews, consisting of more than 300 personnel, were deployed to the scene.
US President Donald Trump issued an official statement expressing condolences for the victims. However, within hours, Trump took to social media, criticising air traffic control procedures.
"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," he wrote on Truth Social.
"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!!!"
Following the collision, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a temporary grounding of all flights at Reagan National Airport. The facility is not expected to resume normal operations until at least 11:00 AM (1600 GMT) on Thursday.
American Airlines CEO issued a video statement expressing "deep sorrow" over the incident, while US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas described the crash as "nothing short of a nightmare."
Aviation experts and investigators are now scrutinizing how a modern passenger jet equipped with collision-avoidance technology could collide with a military aircraft in one of the most closely monitored airspaces in the country.
Washington's airspace is known for its congestion, with civilian aircraft frequently flying at low altitudes over the city while military and government helicopters operate at various elevations throughout the day and night. The presence of multiple aircraft types in such limited airspace is now a focal point of the investigation.