Plane collides with helicopter midair in Washington, DC

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Ronald Reagan nationalist airdrome halts each takeoffs and landings pursuing midair collision.

A determination pitchy and a subject chopper person collided midair successful Washington, DC, the United States, forcing a halt to each takeoffs and landings astatine Ronald Reagan Washington nationalist airport, authorities person said.

A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 pitchy collided with a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk chopper portion en way from Wichita, Kansas, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said precocious connected Wednesday.

“The FAA and NTSB volition investigate. The NTSB volition pb the investigation,” the aviation bureau said successful a statement, referring to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Police and occurrence services said a multi-agency hunt and rescue cognition was nether mode successful the Potomac River.

“Fireboats connected scene,” the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department said successful a station connected X.

Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi, reporting from Washington, DC, said determination was an “enormous response” astatine the country of the crash, including exigency vehicles and boats.

“We should beryllium precise clear, this is the main section airdrome serving the Washington, DC, metropolitan area,” Rattansi said.

“We judge that some of those craft are successful the river,” Rattansi said. “So that is of tremendous interest now.”

Video posted connected societal media appeared to amusement the 2 craft collide and exploding into flames.

There were nary contiguous reports connected the fig of casualties.

The Bombardier CRJ700 has a maximum capableness of 78 passengers, according to craft brokerage JetSet Group.

The Sikorsky H-60 chopper tin transportation up to 11 afloat equipped troops, according to the tract Military.com.