A midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft, officials said Thursday, as they scrutinized the actions of the military pilot and reported that control tower staffing was “not normal” at the time of the country's worst aviation disaster in a generation.
A diving team and police boat is seen around a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
On January 29, a passenger jet collided with a helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport. Abadi Ismail captured video footage from his home, showing emergency teams responding after hearing explosive sounds and seeing smoke rise. The FAA confirmed that PSA Airlines Flight 5342 and a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter were involved in the crash. No casualties have been reported, but all airport operations were suspended. Search teams continue to scour the Potomac River, with the NTSB leading the investigation.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the Federal Aviation Administration's diversity equity and inclusion policies after a deadly collision of an American Airlines regional flight and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gives update on American Airlines flight deadly collision with Black Hawk helicopter
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A boat on the Potomac River, cruises past emergency response vehicles seen staging at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, in the early morning hour, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, as seen from across the river near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
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An American Airlines plane is parked Wednesday night at a gate at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va.
Gallery: Passenger jet with 64 aboard collides with Army helicopter while landing at Reagan Airport near DC
Rescue boats work the scene on the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Boats work the scene on the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
First responders are seen at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
First responders are seen at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A helicopter uses its searchlight as it flies above the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday night, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Emergency vehicles stage at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. The U.S. Capitol is seen, right, across the Potomac River in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
A helicopter uses its searchlight as it flies above the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A helicopter uses its searchlight as it flies above the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Emergency equipment stages at Gravelly Point, north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, along the Potomac River, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Emergency equipment stages at Gravelly Point, north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, along the Potomac River, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Emergency equipment stages at Gravelly Point, north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, along the Potomac River, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
A view of emergency response looking from Arlington, Va., south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, across the Potomac River toward the District of Columbia, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
People walk through the virtually empty Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
An airport police officer walks behind the American Airlines counter at Wichita's Eisenhower Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2024, in Wichita, Kan., after news that an American Airlines flight from Wichita collided with a helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport. (AP Photo/Travis Heying)
A member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stands by a door at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stands by a door at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Law enforcement vehicles are parked at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A information board displays a message at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A spotlight from a helicopter lights the water of the Potomac River, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025 in Washington near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf). (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Rob Henning, center, walks to check on passengers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A boat on the Potomac River, cruises past emergency response vehicles seen staging at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, in the early morning hour, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, as seen from across the river near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
People arrive to check on passengers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Crews search the Potomac River on Thursday following the collision of a military helicopter and a passenger plane that was landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington County. The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water.
Michael Martz (804) 649-6964
Staff writers Anna Bryson and Dave Ress contributed to this report.
NTSB Chair @JenniferHomendy: "We have not recovered the flight data recorders yet. We know they're there. They are under water." pic.twitter.com/CiW9QMc1kK
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 30, 2025
