Rescuers are searching for survivors in the Potomac River after an American Airlines plane collided midair with a military helicopter near Reagan national airport outside Washington, DC.
Police said multiple agencies were involved in the search and rescue operation in the river, which borders the airport, but there was no immediate word on casualties.
Washington, DC Fire and Emergency Services chief John Donnelly said “the conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders”.
American Airlines says 60 passengers and four crew were on board the plane which was arriving in Washington, DC, from Wichita, Kansas.
Three people were on the military helicopter, according to the Washington DC mayor.
Ronald Reagan national airport has halted all takeoffs and landings following the collision.
- Plane collides with helicopter midair in Virginia
A plane and helicopter collision has prompted a desperate search and rescue operation in the US state of Virginia.
- Search and rescue efforts for stricken aircraft in Potomac River
Rescue boats search the waters of the Potomac River after a plane on approach to Reagan national airport collided with a helicopter and crashed into the river outside Washington, DC.
- ‘Very personal circumstance’: Kansas senator on deadly crash
“In Kansas and in Wichita in particular, we’re going to know people who are on this flight, know their family members. This is a very personal circumstance,” he said.
What we know about the aircraft involved in the Washington midair collision
- The American Airlines regional passenger plane is a Bombardier CRJ700, which can seat about 70 people.
- It is considered a workhorse of regional commercial aviation.
- There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board, American Airlines said.
- The military helicopter that collided with the passenger jet is a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.
- Black Hawks are the most ubiquitous and iconic US military helicopters, filling multiple roles for the military, including air assault, general support, medevac, command and control, and special operations support.
- The Black Hawk involved in the crash was flying with the call sign PAT25 and had three occupants, according to the Aviation Safety Network, a public database of aviation accidents.
More than 5,000 Black Hawks have been built since production began in the mid-1970s.