Tragic Mid-Air Disaster in Washington D.C: A plane crashes into a military helicopter

On January292025, a passenger plane crashed with a military helicopter in mid-air over Washington D.C., killing many people and raising worries about regional air traffic safety…

plane crash

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

The passenger plane separated into pieces and went deep into the river, while the helicopter fell upside down in the water, reports said.

The Bombardier CRJ700 took off from Wichita, Kansas, and was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members on board, American Airlines said.

According to sources, the helicopter was a Sikorsky H-60 that took off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia with three soldiers onboard and was assigned to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion.

Pete Hegseth (United States Secretary of Defense) said that the aircraft was on an annual proficiency flight, performing a night evaluation with standard goggles. He stated that names and ranks will be hidden until their next of kin had been informed.

Source: ABC News

Hegseth said that the aircraft was on an annual proficiency flight, performing a night evaluation with standard goggles. He stated that names and ranks will be hidden until their next of kin had been informed.

A tape posted online by LiveATC.net, which streams air traffic, claims to record the air traffic control conversation just before the disaster. A controller can reportedly be heard alerting the helicopter about the jet but not receiving a response. The audio has not been verified by the infocandle.

The FAA said that they would investigate the event with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Hegseth said that he expected this to quickly figure out whether the helicopter was flying in the right corridor and altitude.

plane crash
How many victims are there?

In a Thursday morning update, DC Fire (District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department) and EMS Chief John Donnelly said that officials don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident.

He stated that they have recovered 27 bodies from the plane and one from the helicopter.

A law enforcement source engaged with the inquiry informed CBS that at least 30 bodies had already been found.

US Figure Skating said that: It is confirmed that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter on Jan.29, 2025 , in Washington D.C. These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

Source: Sky News

The Kremlin (Official residence of The President of the Russian Federation ) confirmed that Russian citizens were on board, after local media reported that ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on the plane.

Donnelly had said that approximately 300 rescuers on rubber boats had been sent to hunt for survivors. “The problem is access, there is wind and ice on the water. It is dangerous and difficult to work in,he added.

Moments Before the Crash

Ari Schulman told NBC Washington that he saw the plane crash while driving on the George Washington Parkway, which runs along the airport.

source: NBC News

He said the plane’s approach looked normal until he noticed the aircraft turned sharply to the right, with “streams of sparks” running underneath, illuminating its belly.

At that time, he said that it looked “very, very wrong.”. He had previously witnessed plane landings there and believed that a jet’s underside should not have been visible in the dark.

The sparks, he said, looked like a “giant roman candle” and spread from the plane’s nose to its tail.

Jimmy Mazeo said he saw the crash while having dinner with his girlfriend in a park near the airport.

He recalled seeing what looked like a “white flare” in the sky. He said planes pursuing Ronald Reagan Airport looked to be flying in “irregular patterns”.

Response from officials

President Donald Trump said the country was “in mourning” during a press conference on Thursday, taking the opportunity to criticize his political opponents for hiring “mediocre” people for air traffic control jobs. He continued his attacks on former President Joe Biden’s initiatives to promote diversity (known as DEI) in the government workforce.

source: The White House

Trump said he and his team have “strong opinions and ideas” about what happened, but admitted that the investigation was still in its early stages.

He also announced that Chris Rocheleau will take over as temporary head of the Federal Aviation Administration. Since Trump took office, the top positions at the FAA, administrator and deputy administrator, have been vacant.

At the same press conference, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy and Hegseth promised to investigate the incident.

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

That was echoed by Roger Marshall, a US senator from Kansas, where the plane had arrived. He described a “heartbreak beyond measure”.

What is the aviation safety record of the United States?

Major incidents of this kind are uncommon in the United States. A list provided by Reuters shows that the most recent comparable crash was occurred in feburary 2009.

That year, an aircraft crashed on its approach to landing in Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 passengers on board and one on the ground.

The airspace over Washington DC is both busy and highly monitored. It is used for local and international traffic via two airports, with additional priorities including presidential flights, strong military traffic, and planes around the Pentagon.

Tragic Mid-Air Disaster in Washington D.C: A plane crashes into a military helicopter

Passenger aircraft are required to follow predefined flight plans to provide structured and stable air traffic operations. Military pilots, on the other hand, fly in less restricted airspace, following specific instructions from air traffic controllers. However, unlike civilian pilots, they have the freedom to divert from their scheduled paths as needed and bear the responsibility of actively “seeing and avoiding” other aircraft to prevent collisions.

For more updates about the current situation, stay tuned with infocandle.


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