An American Airlines jet inbound to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River just before 9 pm Eastern last night. The plane was American Eagle flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas with a reported 60 passengers and four crew members aboard.
The helicopter was a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter with three service members reportedly aboard on a training flight out of Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir. The plane was reported to have gone down in the Potomac, and was reported to have broken into two pieces. The helicopter was reported to also be in the river upside-down.
Few other details were given at a press conference at Reagan Airport around 1 am this morning, with Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and newly-sworn-in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in attendance. All air traffic was suspended both in and out of Reagan while rescue and recovery efforts continued; it was announced at the press conference that flights would not resume until 11 am today. Over 300 first responders were on-site working to rescue anyone that could be found in the water, which was reported to be around 35-degrees Fahrenheit.
Mayor Bowser said at the press conference that they could give no details about survivor or casualty numbers at that time, but more press conferences are planned after daybreak.