American Eagle CRJ700 Crashed with Helicopter, 67 Dead

Key info:

• Flight 5342 had 60 passengers and 4 crew members on board. The three troops on board the helicopter, a Sikorsky H-60, had been conducting a coaching flight.

• No survivors have been discovered. Officers mentioned at a information convention this morning that they’d recovered 28 our bodies from the river.

• Authorities early at present switched to a restoration operation from the in a single day rescue operation. Crews anticipate the hassle to take a number of days.

• Among the many jet’s passengers had been U.S. determine skaters, coaches and kinfolk getting back from a coaching camp.

• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was on the FAA headquarters “carefully monitoring the scenario.” He was confirmed as Transportation Secretary on Tuesday.

• The FAA doesn’t at the moment have a Senate-confirmed chief. Former Nationwide Enterprise Aviation Affiliation chief working officer Chris Rocheleau is the FAA’s deputy administrator. President Trump has not but introduced a decide to guide the FAA. Former FAA chief Mike Whitaker resigned from the publish January 20.

• The H60 helicopter was solely broadcasting Mode S knowledge, it was not broadcasting ADS-B. 

• The incident marks the primary time there was a industrial airline crash within the U.S. since 2009, when a regional service of Continental Airways crashed right into a home in Erie County, New York, killing all 49 passengers and crew on board.

• The final time there was a airplane crash within the Potomac River was January 13, 1982, when an Air Florida flight struck a bridge the 14th Road Bridge and went into the river. The flight had 74 passengers and 5 crew members. Solely 4 passengers and one crew member survived.

Full Article

On January 30, 2025, an American Eagle Bombardier CRJ-700 crashed into the Potomac River after colliding with a military helicopter close to Washington Reagan Nationwide Airport.

The CRJ-700, owned by PSA Airways, bearing registration N709PS was working American Eagle flight AA5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport (DCA) with 60 passengers and 4 crew members aboard.

Nevertheless, at roughly 8:46 p.m. native time (01:46 UTC), whereas descending by way of roughly 200 toes above floor degree (AGL) on remaining strategy to Runway 33, the CRJ-700 collided with a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, name signal PAT25.

Flight AA5342 was initially cleared to land on Runway 01 however was redirected to Runway 33 by air visitors management, which the flight crew confirmed. Furthermore, the navy plane had reportedly departed Fort Belvoir, Virginia, on a coaching mission with three personnel on board, as reported by the Aviation Herald.

Search and Rescue Operation, Fatalities

A big-scale search and rescue operation has been initiated, involving roughly 300 personnel, a number of helicopters, and boats. Given the dangerously low water temperatures, consultants estimated survival occasions between 15 to 90 minutes attributable to hypothermia dangers. Regardless of intensive efforts, as of now, no survivors have been recovered, and authorities have since confirmed fatalities. The precise variety of deceased stays unconfirmed.

No less than 12 of the our bodies have been recovered throughout search-and-rescue operations, NBC Washington reported, citing two sources near the restoration efforts.

“A PSA Airways Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter whereas on strategy to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport round 9 p.m. native time. The FAA and NTSB will examine, with the NTSB main the inquiry,” mentioned an FAA spokesperson.

American Airways confirmed that 60 passengers and 4 crew members had been on board flight AA5342. Among the many passengers had been determine skating athletes, coaches, and relations who had been at a growth camp in Wichita, U.S. Determine Skating mentioned.

Eyewitness and ATC Stories

Eyewitnesses described a sudden burst of sparks earlier than the jet rolled past 90 levels, practically inverted, earlier than plunging into the river. Some accounts recommend the helicopter was troublesome to see within the evening sky.

A chilling radio transmission captured the second: “Tower, did you see that?” heard at 01:46:39 UTC. The FAA tower instantly halted all departures and ordered go-arounds for incoming flights, whereas emergency response groups had been deployed to the crash website.

The Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB) has launched an investigative staff to find out the reason for the midair collision. Preliminary knowledge suggests miscommunication or an unexpected trajectory convergence might have contributed to the tragedy.

Furthermore, the Military confirmed that the plane concerned within the incident was a Black Hawk helicopter. Three individuals had been on board, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser mentioned.

Within the wake of the accident, Reagan Nationwide Airport was quickly closed, with Runway 15/33 remaining shut down for additional evaluation. The FAA later introduced that the airport wouldn’t absolutely reopen till 5:00 a.m. on Friday, January 31, 2025.

It is a creating story.

Potomac River crash, what we all know to date?

– The ATC recording supplies communication with Black Hawk helicopter (PAT25) that acknowledged visible sight of plane because it adjustments course heading for plane.

– ATC requested PAT25 (helo) if he had the CRJ in sight and he confirmed… pic.twitter.com/na4H3ZCnbU

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) January 30, 2025

Featured Picture: Andrew Harnik/Getty Pictures

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