(CNN) — A passenger jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter midair as the flight was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC, Wednesday night, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
A multi-agency search and rescue effort is in progress in the Potomac River, but there was no information on injuries from the collision, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
“A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time,” the FAA said in a statement. “PSA was operating Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas.”
The FAA has grounded flights at Reagan National Airport. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.
“All takeoffs and landings have been halted at DCA. Emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open,” Reagan National Airport said in a post on social media.
DC Fire and EMS confirmed that an aircraft was down in the river and fireboats are on the scene. Metro Police said their helicopter was not involved but didn’t share any additional information.
See updates from CNN Below:
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leadership says they are monitoring mid-air plane collision
US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leadership said in a statement Wednesday they are monitoring the passenger jet collision near Reagan National Airport.
“We are continuing to monitor this evening’s accident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and we are in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board,” Committee Chairman Sam Graves, ranking member Rick Larsen, Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Troy Nehls and Aviation Subcommittee ranking member Steve Cohen said in a joint statement.
“As we await more information from the ongoing response, our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, and their families, and the first responders on the scene,” the statement said.
Fatalities confirmed in midair plane-helicopter collision, source says
Fatalities have been confirmed and rescuers have not yet pulled any survivors from the water, a law enforcement source says. The rescue efforts continue in the Washington, DC, area following the crash.
The source says the plane is in pieces in the water and the helicopter is in the water nearby.
“I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river,” man says of wife onboard crashed plane
Hamaad Raza said his wife was on the plane that collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River.
“I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now as we speak,” Raza told CNN affiliate WUSA.
Raza said he received a text message from his wife shortly before the plane was supposed to land.
“She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes,” he said. But his texts back to her did not get delivered.
That was when he realized that something could be wrong, he told WUSA.
US Coast Guard deploys “every available” resource toward rescue efforts, Homeland Security secretary says
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says that the department is “deploying every available US Coast Guard resource for search and rescue efforts” in response to the collision between a passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport Wednesday night.
“We are actively monitoring the situation & stand ready to support local responders,” she wrote on social media. Noem expressed her concern and prayers for the victims and first responders.
American Airlines issues hotline for loved ones of those onboard
American Airlines issued a hotline for family members and loved ones of those onboard the Flight 5342, collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport.
“If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215,” the airline said in a statement.
“Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can call 800-679-8215 directly,” it added.
The airline said it will continue to release information about the incident as it becomes available.
Frantic search for survivors underway amid multi-agency response to plane-helicopter collision
Nearly every law enforcement agency in the area is working on search and rescue efforts after the plane collision near Reagan National Airport Wednesday, a law enforcement source told CNN.
Crews are frantically searching for survivors in the Potomac River, the source said.
Some background: American Airlines told CNN Wednesday night there were 60 passengers and four crew on board the flight that collided on approach to Reagan National Airport.
Witness said he saw “stream of sparks” after plane suddenly banked right
From CNN’s Helen Regan
Ari Schulman told CNN he was driving home when he witnessed the plane crash near Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.
Everything seemed normal as he drove along the George Washington Parkway, the highway that runs by the airport, he said. As he watched the planes coming in to land, one in particular caught his eye.
“Initially I saw the plane and it looked fine. Normal. It was right about to head over land, maybe 120 feet above the water. It looked like a fairly small end but normal sized passenger jet,” Schulman said.
Three seconds later, the plane “was banked all the way to the right… past 90 degrees.”
“I could see the underside of it. It was lit up a very bright yellow, and there was a stream of sparks underneath it,” he said, adding that “it was high off the ground.”
Schulman said following that, everything went dark.
“I didn’t see any helicopter. It’s a very, very dark night out tonight. So anything that’s not illuminated, you can’t really see. So I didn’t see the other aircraft, but I saw the plane banking at an angle that a plane shouldn’t bank. And I saw sparks flying,” he said.
Schulman said everything happened so quickly.
“I didn’t see the plane hit the ground. I didn’t see flames or an explosion or smoke. I didn’t see emergency lights. It was so brief,” he said.
Black Hawk that collided with passenger plane had 3 soldiers on board
From CNN’s Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky
The US Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with a passenger aircraft had a crew of three and was not carrying any VIPs, according to a US defense official.
Senior Army officials often use Black Hawks for travel in the Washington, DC, area.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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