A devastating midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a military helicopter resulted in at least 28 confirmed deaths near Ronald Reagan Washington D.C National Airport on Wednesday night.
American Airlines Flight 5342 was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter had three soldiers aboard. No survivors are expected.
Moments before the crash, air traffic controllers had asked the pilots of the jet if they could adjust to land on the airport’s shorter Runway 33, which the pilots had confirmed. The collision took place shortly before 10 p.m. EST, sending both aircraft into the Potomac River.
Rescue operations, carried out in freezing conditions with heavy wind and ice on the water, have led to the recovery of 27 bodies from the jet and one from the helicopter. Among the jet’s passengers were U.S. figure skaters, coaches, and relatives returning from a training camp. Russian media reported that two former world champions, a married couple, were among those aboard.
The fuselage of the jet was discovered in three separate sections in waist-deep water along the Potomac River. The scene was described as one of “extremely frigid” conditions for rescue crews, who operated throughout the night to recover victims.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. According to the Washington Post, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy noted that, “everything was standard in the lead-up to the crash,” but emphasized that “something went wrong here.”
Air traffic control recordings captured the moments leading up to the collision, with controllers instructing a military helicopter, call sign PAT25, to maintain altitude, moments before an audible gasp was heard as the crash occurred.
By 8:00am Washington time officials reported that they did not expect to find any survivors of the crash. “We are now switching from a rescue operation to a recovery phase,” said John Donnelly, fire and EMS chief of Washington, D.C.
The incident comes amid rising concerns over aviation safety, following multiple near-miss collisions in recent years. The FAA has faced scrutiny for staffing shortages in air traffic control, and the agency has been without a permanent administrator since Mike Whitaker stepped down on January 20.