Fatalities reported as US passenger jet, military chopper collide near Reagan Airport
An American passenger plane and a military helicopter have collided near Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, with authorities yet to confirm any possible casualties.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the crash happened around 9 p.m. EST when the regional jet, a Bombardier CRJ700, coming from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter that was approaching the airport runway and went down in the Potomac River near the airport.
The US Army confirmed in a statement that a UH-60 helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, was the helicopter involved in the crash.
The plane had 60 passengers and 4 crew members on board. No survivor has been recovered from the water yet.
Police divers and rescue boats are actively searching the water for survivors.
CCTV footage reportedly shows the moment a plane collided with a helicopter while landing at Reagan International Airport.
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Law enforcement officials said there have been multiple fatalities, but the exact number of victims is still unclear as rescue crews continue their search.
“Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts,” the American Airlines said in a statement.
American Airlines CEO Rober Isom said in a video that the airline was “cooperating fully” with authorities and police investigation.
“Anything we can do now, we’re doing. And right now, that means focusing on taking care of all passengers and crew involved as well as their families,” Isom said, adding that the airlines had created a hotline for those who believed their family or loved ones were on the flight.
Officials in Washington DC refused to confirm reports on casualties during a press conference, saying they were focused on the rescue effort.
However, CBS reported that 18 bodies have been pulled from the water.
Early reports on US media said the passenger plane could be seen split in half on the Potomac River, while the helicopter was upside down in the water.
About 300 responders on rubber boats have been deployed to search for survivors, said Washington DC Fire and Emergency Services Chief John Donnelly.
"The challenge is access, there is wind, pieces of ice (on the water). It is dangerous and hard to work in," he said.
Russian state-run TASS and RIA news agencies reported that Russian figure skaters and coaches Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were also on board the American Airlines plane that crashed on Thursday.
The last major fatal crash involving a US commercial airline occurred in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. Everyone aboard the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane was killed, including 45 passengers, 2 pilots and 2 flight attendants.
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