Published 09:33 IST, January 30th 2025
US: Reagan Airport Shuts All Operations After Plane Crashes in Potomac River
A passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington

US: An American Airlines regional jet carrying 70 people collided mid-air with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday evening, according to federal officials, stopping flights in and out of Washington, D.C's Ronald Reagan Airport.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. local time when a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700, operating as American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, hit a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while approaching Runway 33.
The plane had 60 passengers and 4 crew members on board, American Airlines said. Three soldiers were on board the helicopter, according to a US defense official.
There was no immediate word on casualties. Law enforcement helicopters are searching the area for survivors.
Inflatable rescue boats were deployed into the Potomac River from a location near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport. The rescue teams have located some survivors.
Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.
The airport said emergency personnel were responding to “an aircraft incident on the airfield.”
No other details were immediately available.
(Inputs from AP)
Updated 09:33 IST, January 30th 2025