American Airlines aircraft carrying 60 passengers and four crew members struck a military helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport late Wednesday night. The incident took place just above the Potomac River, with authorities yet to confirm casualties, survivors, or any rescued individuals from the crash site.
Emergency response teams were dispatched immediately, but officials have remained tight-lipped about the exact toll of the disaster. Local media sources confirmed there were casualties and that rescue teams had pulled some bodies from the water. The U.S. Figure Skating Federation has confirmed that among the passengers were a group of figure skaters, their coaches, and family members returning from the U.S. championships in Wichita, Kansas.
Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, speaking at the airport alongside other officials, expressed his grief, stating, “It is truly devastating when more than 60 citizens of Kansas are likely lost at the same time.” His remarks suggest that authorities fear there are no survivors from the crash.
Eyewitnesses near the Potomac reported a fireball lighting up the night sky, followed by debris falling into the river. Air traffic controllers had reportedly cleared the American Airlines flight for landing moments before the collision, but details on the sequence of events leading up to the crash remain unclear.
The helicopter was a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk from Bravo Company of the 12th Battalion, which is based at Davidson Army Airfield, a few miles south of the crash site.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident. Meanwhile, military officials have yet to disclose details regarding the helicopter’s mission, crew, or whether any distress signals were issued before the crash.
The accident vividly reminisces another accident in almost the same place more than 40 years ago. On January 13, 1982, a passenger plane bound for Tampa, Florida, crashed into a bridge over the river after taking off from Washington National Airport in the middle of a snowstorm, leaving 78 dead and the same images of the fuselage sunk in the water.
