An American Airlines passenger plane crashed into a river after hitting a military plane over Washington. There were 64 people on board. 19 bodies have been found and no one survived.
At around 9pm local time (02:00 GMT), an American Airlines passenger plane collided with a helicopter mid-air during landing in Washington, DC.
Police told CBS that 19 bodies have been found at the scene so far and no one survived.
Reagan National Airport (DCA) said in a statement that it had suspended all flights taking off and landing at the airport.
John Donnelly, an official with the Washington, D.C. Fire and Emergency Services Department, said rescuers arrived at the scene at 20:58 EST and faced an "extremely difficult situation." He said at a press conference that 300 rescuers were currently working on boats on the river and in nearby areas.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed deep regret for the collision. In a video posted on the company's website, he said, "We are doing everything we can."
U.S. figure skating's governing body confirmed in a statement that several of its skaters were on the doomed flight.
"These athletes, coaches and families had just returned home from a national development camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas," the statement read.
"We are deeply saddened by this unspeakable tragedy and our hearts go out to the families of the victims. We will continue to monitor developments and will release more information as time goes by."
BBC local reporters reported that all access roads leading to the airport have been closed.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said it was difficult to estimate the timeline for the investigation into the cause of the accident and that emergency personnel would search the river until the people on board were found.
When asked about survivors, John Donnelly, chief of the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department, said it was not clear if there were any, but emergency crews were working to find victims.
“We don’t know if there are any survivors,” he said.
Donnelly said that while first responders' first priority is to find survivors, they will also work with the National Transportation Safety Board to help preserve evidence.
He also said that at present, the difficulty in rescue mainly comes from strong winds and floating ice on the water.
“And because the light is not very good, you have to search every inch of space,” he said. “For rescuers, these diving conditions are very tough.”
"We will reassess the progress of the rescue operation tomorrow morning when we have a clearer picture of the situation," he said.
Earlier, US President Trump said in an official statement that he had a "full understanding of the situation."
Less than four hours after the accident, he posted on his "Truth Social" platform.
"The plane was approaching the airport on a perfect and normal path... The helicopter kept coming straight at the plane for a long time. It was a clear night and the lights of the plane were shining. Why didn't the helicopter go up, down or turn? Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane? This situation looked like it should have been avoided. Not good!!!" Trump wrote.
The BBC has just heard from aviation consultant Geoffrey Thomas, who says the US has the safest aviation system in the world and "this won't happen again in the US".
Thomas told the BBC that mid-air collisions should be a thing of the past, with new technology allowing planes to communicate electronically to warn pilots of an impending collision.
The system is called the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), and Thomas said it has saved thousands of lives over the decades.
All commercial aircraft and most military planes are equipped with the technology, he added.
"Technically, (the crash) shouldn't have happened at all. It's confusing and it's sad."
According to CNN, shortly before the crash, an air traffic controller could be heard asking the helicopter if it had "seen" the American Airlines plane.
Air traffic control issued another warning and seconds later the collision occurred.
The news was published on Live ATC, a website focused on aviation communications at more than 1,200 airports. It has not been confirmed by the BBC.
The audio did not capture any reaction from the helicopter to the air traffic control warning.
The last major commercial aviation crash in the United States was in February 2009, when a Continental Airlines flight operated by Colgan Air struck a house on approach to Buffalo, New York, after taking off from Newark, New Jersey.
The plane was a Bombardier Q400 and the crash killed 49 people.
The last major crash involving an American Airlines plane occurred near John F. Kennedy International Airport in November 2001.
American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 265 people on board.
Earlier, US media reported that the crashed American Airlines plane fell into the river and broke into two pieces, and the helicopter crashed near the wreckage of the plane and plunged into the water.
American Airlines confirmed the number of people on board and other information in a statement. The statement said American Eagle Flight 5342 was flying from Wichita, Kansas to Washington, but the accident occurred at Reagan Airport. The flight was operated by a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet of Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA). There were 60 passengers and 4 crew members on board.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet operated by Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) collided in mid-air with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter (also known as a Black Hawk helicopter) while approaching Runway 33 at Washington Reagan National Airport.
BBC partner CBS said the plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members.
An Army official confirmed to CBS News that an Army Black Hawk helicopter was involved in the collision with three U.S. soldiers on board.
CBS News also learned from Pentagon officials that the Black Hawk helicopter took off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Reagan National Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet operated by Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) collided in mid-air with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter (also known as a Black Hawk helicopter) while approaching Runway 33 at Washington Reagan National Airport.
BBC partner CBS said the plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members.
"PSA flight number was 5342, which was operated by American Airlines at the time of the incident. The flight originated in Wichita, Kansas. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation."
An Army official confirmed to CBS News that an Army Black Hawk helicopter was involved in the collision with three U.S. soldiers on board.
CBS News also learned from Pentagon officials that the Black Hawk helicopter took off from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Reagan National Airport.
Currently, emergency rescue personnel from Washington, DC have flocked to Reagan National Airport, and more than a dozen fire trucks and ambulances can be seen on the scene.
The plane crashed into the Potomac River, which runs through Washington, according to the Washington Fire and Emergency Medical Services departments.
The department said in a post on X that fireboats were searching the river.
Vice President Vance posted on X that he was monitoring the situation and hoped that all would go well.
"Please pray for all involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan Airport tonight," he wrote on the X website.
A BBC reporter overlooking the crash site from the rooftop of a building opposite the airport in northern Virginia could clearly hear sirens and see two helicopters surrounding the crash site.
"I've lived in this building for over two years and I've never seen an emergency of this magnitude at an airport," said BBC reporter Rachel Looker.
American Airlines (American Airlines for short) is the world's largest airline in terms of passenger volume, total passenger mileage and fleet size, with its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. Public data shows that American Eagle Airlines and PSA Airlines are both wholly-owned subsidiaries of American Airlines Group.
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