Passenger jet collides with Black Hawk helicopter before crashing into river

Dozens are feared dormant aft an American Airlines pitchy collided with a US Army Black Hawk chopper adjacent Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport.

A monolithic hunt cognition is present focused connected the adjacent Potomac River aft some craft plunged into the freezing water.

CBS News reports that astatine slightest 18 bodies person been recovered truthful far.

American Airlines confirmed 64 radical were connected committee the determination rider pitchy astatine the clip of the crash, 60 passengers and 4 crew. There were 3 soldiers wrong the helicopter, an authoritative said.

Worried relatives gathered astatine the airdrome person said they are getting much accusation from property reports of the clang than from officials.

One pistillate collapsed successful tears aft telling a subordinate of airdrome staff: ‘I don’t cognize if she got connected determination oregon not.’

Hamaad Raza told section CBS affiliate WUSA that helium was waiting for his wife.

‘She texted maine that she was landing successful 20 minutes,’ helium said. ‘The remainder of my substance didn’t get delivered. That’s erstwhile I realised that thing mightiness beryllium up. I’m conscionable praying that idiosyncratic is pulling her retired of the stream close now.’

The US Army said successful a connection that it could ‘confirm that the craft progressive successful tonight’s incidental was an Army UH-60 chopper retired of Fort Belvoir, Virginia’.

There has not been a fatal US rider airplane mishap since February 2009, but a bid of near-miss incidents successful caller years person raised superior information concerns.

In 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge implicit the Potomac River, sidesplitting 70 passengers and 4 unit members. Only 4 passengers and 1 unit subordinate survived.

A web camera changeable from the Kennedy Center successful Washington showed an detonation mid-air crossed the Potomac astir 8.47pm section clip with an craft successful flames falling rapidly.

PSA was operating Flight 5342 for American Airlines, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, according to the FAA.

‘We’re cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board successful its probe and volition proceed to supply each the accusation we can,’ American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said successful a video statement.

Police said aggregate agencies were progressive successful a hunt and rescue cognition successful the Potomac River, which borders the airport.

Dozens of police, ambulance and rescue units, immoderate ferrying boats, staged on the stream and raced to positions on the tarmac of Reagan airport.

Live TV images showed respective boats successful the water, flashing bluish and reddish lights.

The airdrome said precocious connected Wednesday that each takeoffs and landings had been halted arsenic exigency unit responded to an craft incident.

US President Donald Trump said successful a connection that helium had been ‘fully briefed connected the unspeakable mishap which conscionable took spot astatine Reagan National Airport’.

‘May God bless their souls,’ helium added. ‘Thank you for the unthinkable enactment being done by our archetypal responders. I americium monitoring the concern and volition supply much details arsenic they arise.’

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker stepped down connected January 20 and the Trump medication has not named a replacement – oregon adjacent disclosed who is moving the bureau connected an interim basis.

The past deadly large clang involving a commercialized airliner successful the US was successful 2009, erstwhile each 49 radical aboard a Colgan Air formation died erstwhile the level crashed successful New York state. One idiosyncratic besides died connected the ground.

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