Status Of Survivors Unknown Following Jet Crash At Reagan Airport

LATEST UPDATES: No Survivors Expected After Plane Collides With Helicopter

Previous story:

More than four hours after a commercial jet crashed with a military helicopter near Washington, there were no official updates on how many people, if any, had survived the collision involving an American Airlines passenger flight and a UH-60 Blackhawk.

However, Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas said that "it's really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously." The flight had originated from Wichita.

"When one person dies it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die it’s an unbearable sorrow," Marshall said.

Shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday, politicians and representatives from various area agencies gathered inside a terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to brief reporters on the search-and-rescue operation underway following the crash of American Airlines flight 5342.

Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser stressed that crews were operating a rescue operation in the "very dark and cold conditions" of the Potomac River. She confirmed that there were 64 people on the American Airlines flight and three people on the military helicopter.

"I can’t say anything about the rescue operation right now," she said when pressed on details related to the passengers, but said more frequent news briefings were expected come daylight.

More than 300 personnel were at the scene in Virginia, working through the night to find people from the two aircraft.

When he was asked if there were any survivors, Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly, responded: "We don’t know yet. But we’re working."

Updated at 12:42 a.m. Thursday

President Donald Trump said early Thursday that the crash of an American Airlines flight near Ronald Reagan National Airport "should have been prevented."

In a post to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said:

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!!!

Two minutes later, he added, "What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!"

Updated at 12:30 a.m. Thursday

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom released a video statement early Thursday morning, expressing "deep sorrow" about the crash of flight 5342.

According to Isom, the flight involved in the deadly crash was operated by PSA Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines.

"We are actively working with local, state, and federal authorities on emergency response efforts and the American Airlines care team has been activated to assist our passengers and their families," Isom said. "Our cooperation is without pause, and we want to learn everything we can about today’s events. That work will take time, but anything we can do now we’re doing and right now that means focusing on taking care of all passengers and crew involved as well as their families."

Isom said that if people believe they had friends or family aboard the flight, they can call a special hotline set up at 1-800-679-8215.

Previous updates below:

ARLINGTON, VA — A passenger jet with 64 passengers and crew collided with a military helicopter Wednesday evening while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport, multiple reports said. Search-and-rescue efforts are underway in the nearby Potomac River.

The Federal Aviation Administration said a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 Blackhawk helicopter. The plane was approaching Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m.

There were no updates on casualties or the cause of the collision by 12:25 a.m. Thursday. All flights at Reagan National were still grounded.

A police official at the scene told CBS News there were three debris fields in the water and that at least 18 bodies had been recovered as of 11:30 p.m. ET. The official said no survivors had been found so far.

Aviation experts on CNN said that with no confirmation of injured victims rescued in the three hours since the crash, it is unlikely there are many survivors.

The Washington Post also said "multiple bodies" were pulled from the water, citing officials and people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The bodies are being taken to the police department’s air support base near the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

The official said there have been no successful rescues as of 10:30 p.m., meaning no one found alive, the Post said.

Rescue helicopters from agencies across DC, Maryland and Virginia were flying over the scene and searching for survivors. Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a point near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport.

The U.S. Army said the helicopter, with a crew of four, involved was a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia and was on a training flight. Military aircraft frequently conduct training flights in and around the congested and heavily-restricted airspace around the nation’s capital for familiarization and continuity of government planning.

American Eagle Flight 5342 had 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.

“Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts,” an American Airlines statement said.

Anyone who has loved ones on board Flight 5342 can call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215. Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers.
American Airlines will release information at news.aa.com and American’s official X account @AmericanAir.

The incident recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plummeted into the Potomac on January 13, 1982, that killed 78 people. That crash was attributed to bad weather.

The last fatal crash involving a U.S. commercial airline occured in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. Everyone aboard the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane was killed, including 45 passengers, 2 pilots and 2 flight attendants. Another person on the ground also died, bringing the total death toll to 50. An investigation determined that the captain accidentally caused the plane to stall as it approached the airport in Buffalo.

First responders from across the mobilized quickly to begin search and rescue efforts, said Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

“I ask everyone to pray for the passengers, crews, their families, and brave first responders," he said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's office said the state has deployed divers to the Potomac scene. The Maryland Natural Resources Police are also on site.

"We are closely monitoring the aviation collision incident that occurred earlier this evening near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The State of Maryland and local authorities are engaged in response," Moore said on X.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser echoed her support.

"Our prayers are with everyone involved, and we will continue to keep the public updated as more information becomes available," Bowser said on X.

President Donald Trump was briefed, his press secretary said, and Vice President JD Vance encouraged followers on the social media platform X to “say a prayer for everyone involved.”

The collision said the crash happened in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over three miles south of the White House and the Capitol.

Investigators will try to piece together the aircrafts' final moments before their collision, including contact with air traffic controllers as well as a loss of altitude by the passenger jet.

The plane was at an altitude of about 400 feet and a speed of about 140 miles per hour when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River, according to data from its radio transponder. The Canadian-made twin-engine jet was manufactured in 2004 and can be configured to carry up to 70 passengers.

A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National and the pilots said they were able. Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.

In audio from the air traffic control tower around the time of the crash, a controller is heard asking the helicopter, “PAT25 do you have the CRJ in sight,” in reference to the passenger aircraft.
“Tower did you see that?” another pilot is heard calling seconds after the apparent collision.
The tower immediately began diverting other aircraft from Reagan.

Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.

AccuWeather said water temperatures ranged from 33 to 36 degrees in the Potomac River Wednesday night, adding hypothermia concerns for potential survivors.

“At these frigid water temperatures, the human body’s core temperature quickly drops. Exhaustion or unconsciousness can occur in as little as 15 to 30 minutes,” AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin said. “The weather for recovery efforts will remain chilly and dry, with winds from the west between 5-10 mph. Temperatures Wednesday night will fall to near 40 degrees by daybreak Thursday morning. Rain is expected to arrive early Friday morning. Other than the frigid water temperatures, we don't expect any adverse weather impacts tonight and Thursday to negatively impact search and rescue efforts.”

In a post on social media, American Airlines said it was aware of reports that one of its flights was involved in the incident and said it would provide more information once available.

The crash is serving as a major test for two of the Trump administration’s newest agency leaders. Pete Hegseth, sworn in days ago as defense secretary, posted on social media that his department was “actively monitoring” the situation that involved an Army helicopter. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, just sworn in earlier this week, said in a social media post that he was “at the FAA HQ and closely monitoring the situation.”

Reagan National is located along the Potomac River, just southwest of the city. It’s a popular choice because it’s much closer than the larger Dulles International Airport, which is deeper in Virginia.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.