(Washington, D.C.) An American Airlines flight and a military helicopter collided and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday evening. Officials say that there are likely no survivors.
64 people on the passenger plane and three aboard the helicopter are feared dead. Officials said on Thursday morning that 28 bodies had been recovered. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said that both aircraft involved in the crash were in standard flight patterns.
“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 Flight 5342 as American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas,” says a statement from the FAA.
On Thursday morning, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said it is unclear why the military helicopter came into the path of the passenger flight. “At this time, we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft,” he said.
Figure skaters, their coaches and family members were reportedly passengers on the plane. “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.,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hear
