plane crashes near Washington, D.C., and is hit with army helicopter, At least 18 bodies have been recovered
the usa airlines plane flying from wichita ,
It crashed into the Potomac River after colliding with a Black Hawk helicopter operated by the Army.
A U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, was involved in a mid-air collision before crashing into the Potomac River during what was reportedly a training exercise, according to the Army and Pentagon.
At least 18 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River after a mid-air collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter crush and a commercial aircraft near Reagan National Airport in Virginia on Wednesday night.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the incident involved Flight 5342, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 operating for American Airlines. The regional jet, en route from Wichita, Kansas, was approaching Runway 33 at Washington National Airport when it collided with the military helicopter, splitting the aircraft in half.
A massive search and rescue operation is underway, with approximately 300 first responders and divers working in the dangerously cold 35-degree waters of the Potomac. Authorities are searching for the 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the American Airlines flight, as well as the three soldiers who were on board the Black Hawk.
So far, emergency teams have recovered the remains of at least 18 individuals. The search efforts remain ongoing as officials work to locate additional victims.
The military helicopter, capable of carrying up to 15 people, was not transporting any VIPs at the time of the crash.
Footage from an EarthCam at the Kennedy Center, located about five miles north of the crash site, appeared to capture a fireball erupting in the sky during the collision.
Audio recordings from Air Traffic Control revealed the moment flight safety officials reported the devastating mid-air collision—just minutes before an American Airlines flight was cleared to land.
