STORY UPDATED: check for updates below.

DC Plane Crash

American Airlines reported a Bombardier CRJ700 plane flying under their regional airline brand American Eagle was involved in an accident over the Potomac river while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time. Accoring to the FAA the plane collided with an Army UH-60 helicopter with three crewmembers on board.

The statement from American Airlines read:

American Eagle Flight 5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas (ICT), to Washington, D.C. (DCA) was involved in an accident at DCA. The flight was operated by PSA Airlines with a CRJ-700.

Here is what Lead Stories knows so far. This post will be updated as events unfold.

At a 7.30am local time press conference, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser provided following updates along with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and airline, airport, fire and police officals:

• Authorities from various agencies and departments are working together in dealing with the aftermath.
• Washington D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly said there are believed to be no survivors, and the operation is now a recovery operation, and no longer a rescue operation.
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the plane broke into three pieces. The fuselage was upside down in the Potomac River in about three feet of water, and the helicopter wreckage was nearby.
• Weather was clear, the military helicopter was in a standard flight pattern and the plane was doing a standard landing.
• The two aircraft collided just off the approach end of Runway 33 over the Potomac River.
• The CEO of American Airlines expressed condolences to the families of passengers and crew members of both aircraft and urged family members to call 800-679-8215.
• Reagan Airport will probably reopen at 11 a.m. and airlines will inform their passengers about restarting of operations.

According to an earlier press conference from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, boats and divers are at the scene of the crash as both aircraft were in the water. Bowser said there had been 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the American Airlines plane, and three crew members on board the US Army Black Hawk helicopter.

LIVE: Update on Tonight's Plane Collision https://t.co/8IK8LlKp07

-- Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 30, 2025

Victims

According to the report from American Airlines, 60 passengers and four crew members were on board. American Airlines said:

If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215. 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.

Russian press agency TASS reports on Telegram that two members of Russia's figure skating team were reportedly on board of the plane:

World champions in pairs figure skating as part of the Russian national team Shishkova and Naumov were on board the plane that crashed in Washington, a TASS source reports.

(Translated using Google Translate)

Also according to TASS, the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov said other Russian citizens were on the plane too:

"Unfortunately, we see that these sad data are confirmed," he said, commenting on reports that former Russian figure skaters were on the plane. "There were other fellow citizens of ours there too. Bad news from Washington today," the presidential press secretary emphasized.

(Translated using Google Translate)

ABC News is reporting several figure skaters were aboard the flight:

"U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C." the organization said in a statement. "These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas."

The statement went on to say: "We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."

Cause

According to the FAA:

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. PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas. The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation.

Official Statements

The Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department released following statement:

January 29, 2025
Joint MPD and DC Fire and EMS Statement on Aircraft Crash
WASHINGTON, D.C. - At 8:53 p.m. multiple calls were received for an aircraft crash above the Potomac River. DC Fire and EMS, the Metropolitan Police Department and multiple partner agencies are currently coordinating a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River. There is no confirmed information on casualties at this time.

Reagan Washington National Airport posted:

Around 9 p.m. on Wednesday evening, emergency personnel at Reagan National Airport initiated their response to a crash between a passenger aircraft, identified by the FAA as American Eagle flight 5342, and a Sikorsky helicopter. Mutual aid from neighboring agencies were called to assist, and takeoffs and landings at the airport were halted for the remainder of the evening. We will continue to post information as it becomes available.

and:

We are not expecting flights to resume until at least 11 a.m. today (Thursday). We will update if this changes. Also, stay in touch with your airline for schedule updates.

President Donald Trump reacted on TruthSocial:

The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn't the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!

The White House released a Statement from President Donald J. Trump via email:

"I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise."

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted a statement from the JTF-NCR/MDW Public Affairs Office:

"We can confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight's incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir during a training flight. We are working with local officials and will provide additional information once it becomes available."
Very respectfully,
Heather Chairez
Media Chief
JTF-NCR/MDW Public Affairs Office

The National Transportation Safety Board said on X they sent an investigation team to the scene:

NTSB has launched a go-team to the aviation accident involving a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 airplane and a Sikorsky H-60 military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Investigators are arriving on-scene tonight. NTSB media briefing will be announced on this X feed.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy released following statement on X:

I have directed @USDOT and @FAANews to provide full support to the @NTSB and all responding agencies and authorities. I have spoken with Washington D.C. Mayor Bowser, Virginia Governor Youngkin, Kansas Governor Kelly, and NTSB Chair Homendy to offer our agency's complete assistance. Thank you to all first responders who are on the scene and conducting the search and rescue operations.

Further updates to follow.

(Source: images of the crash site taken by Lead Stories staffer Steve Brusk)