A passenger jet carrying 64 people crashed into Washington’s Potomac River on Wednesday following a midair collision with a military helicopter, according to US media reports. A large-scale search and rescue operation is underway, with divers recovering multiple bodies from the near-freezing waters.
Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly stated that approximately 300 emergency personnel were working in “extremely rough” conditions, with little expectation of finding survivors. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser assured that rescue efforts would continue “as long as it takes.”
CBS News reported at least 18 bodies recovered, while NBC cited more than a dozen. Among those on board were several figure skating athletes, coaches, and officials, including Russian world champion pair Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, as confirmed by Moscow.
The Bombardier plane, operated by an American Airlines subsidiary, was approaching Reagan National Airport from Wichita, Kansas, when it collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers on a training flight.
Eyewitness Accounts and Official Reactions
Witness Ari Schulman described seeing a “stream of sparks” before the plane banked sharply and caught fire midair.
President Donald Trump, while expressing condolences, criticized air traffic control on social media, questioning why the collision wasn’t avoided despite clear conditions.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded all flights at Reagan National Airport until Thursday at 11:00 AM (1600 GMT) as investigations continue.
History of Air Disasters in Washington
The crash draws parallels to the 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 disaster, where a Boeing 737 crashed into the Potomac after striking a bridge, killing 78 people. The last major fatal US air accident occurred in 2009 with the crash of Continental Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York.
Authorities are now investigating how the passenger jet, equipped with modern collision-avoidance technology, could have collided with a military aircraft in Washington’s crowded airspace.
