Jet collides with helicopter
· CastanetUPDATE 7:35 p.m.
A passenger jet collided Wednesday with a military helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.
There was no immediate word on casualties, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington were halted as helicopters from agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. Inflatable rescue boats were being launched into the Potomac River from a point near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair collision occurred around 9 p.m. EST when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, smashed into a military Blackhawk helicopter while on approach to an airport runway.
In a post on social media, American Airlines said it was aware of reports that one of its flights was involved in the incident and said it would provide more information once available.
Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.
The airport said emergency personnel were responding to “an aircraft incident on the airfield.”
The incident recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plummeted into the Potomac on January 13, 1982, that killed 78 people. That crash was attributed to bad weather.
No other details were immediately available.
ORIGINAL 7:08 p.m.
A passenger jet has collided with a helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington.
That's according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which says the collision remains under investigation.
There was no immediate word on casualties, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington have been halted.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
An aircraft went down near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night, and all takeoffs and landings have been halted, according to the airport and law enforcement.
Multiple helicopters, including those from the U.S. Park Police and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. military, were flying over the scene of the incident in the Potomac River. D.C. Fire and EMS said on X that fireboats were on the scene.
Washington, D.C., police said on the social platform X that multiple agencies are conducting a search and rescue effort in the Potomac River after an aircraft crash.
Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.
The airport said emergency personnel were responding to “an aircraft incident on the airfield.”