Sonic Boom Over Washington, D.C., as Fighter Jets Pursue Unresponsive Plane -

A passenger plane carrying 64 passengers and crew has crashed into a river in Washington, D.C., after it collided in mid-air with a US Army helicopter.

Eighteen bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River so far, where search and rescue teams are scouring the waters in freezing temperatures, according to a police official who spoke to the BBC’s broadcast partner, CBS News.

Authorities are investigating, and the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has grounded all flights.

What happened?

At around 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, a PSA Airlines jet operating as American Airlines 5342 collided with a US Army helicopter as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The passenger plane, a Bombardier CRJ700, departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was carrying 60 passengers and four crew, American Airlines said.

The Pentagon confirmed that the helicopter involved was a Sikorsky H-60, which had taken off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser stated that three US soldiers were on board. Another official said the helicopter was on a training flight and belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

A video clip published online, reviewed by CNN, allegedly captures the air traffic control conversation moments before the crash. In the recording, a controller can reportedly be heard warning the helicopter about the approaching plane, but no reply was received. The BBC has not independently verified the audio.

The FAA has announced that it will investigate the incident in coordination with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Were there casualties?

Officials in Washington, D.C., have refused to confirm reports on casualties during a press conference, stating that their priority is to continue the rescue operation through the night, which they describe as challenging.

However, a police official at the scene told CBS that 18 bodies had been pulled from the water.

US Figure Skating confirmed that “several members of our skating community were sadly aboard” the flight, including athletes, coaches, and family members returning home from a development camp in Kansas.

Early reports in US media indicated that the passenger plane was split in half on the Potomac River, while the helicopter was found upside down in the water.

Washington, D.C., Fire and Emergency Services Chief John Donnelly stated that around 300 responders on rubber boats have been deployed to search for survivors.

“The challenge is access, there is wind, pieces of ice (on the water). It is dangerous and hard to work in,” he said.

What are eyewitnesses saying?

Ari Schulman told NBC Washington that he witnessed the plane crash while driving on the George Washington Parkway, which runs along the airport. He explained that the plane’s approach appeared normal until he saw it suddenly bank hard to the right, with “streams of sparks” trailing underneath, illuminating its belly.

At that moment, he said, he knew something was terribly wrong. Having seen plane landings at the airport in the past, he noted that a plane’s underside should not be visible in the dark. The sparks, he described, resembled a “giant roman candle” and stretched from the plane’s nose to its tail.

Jimmy Mazeo, who was dining with his girlfriend at a park near the airport, also witnessed the crash.

He recalled seeing what looked like a “white flare” in the sky and mentioned that planes flying into Ronald Reagan Airport appeared to be flying in “irregular patterns.”

Mr. Mazeo said he didn’t think much of what he saw at first, but everything changed when emergency services began arriving at the scene.

What are US officials saying?

President Donald Trump said he had been fully briefed on the “terrible accident” and was closely monitoring the situation. In a statement, he expressed his condolences, saying, “May God Bless their souls,” and thanked the first responders for their incredible work.

On his TruthSocial social media account, Trump also raised questions about the incident, writing, “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”

Vice-President JD Vance called for prayers for those involved in the incident.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, whose appointments were recently confirmed, also stated that they were closely monitoring the situation.

Asked whether flight paths near Ronald Reagan Airport would be changed following the incident, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “We will take appropriate action if necessary.” He added, “There will be a review of what happened here tonight.”

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed his “deep sorrow” over the collision in a video posted on the airline’s website.

That sentiment was echoed by Roger Marshall, a U.S. senator representing Kansas, the departure point of the plane. He described the tragedy as a “heartbreak beyond measure.”