American Airlines flight collides with helicopter

UPDATE:

At least 18 bodies have been recovered after a midair collision between a regional passenger jet and a helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, CBS News reported on Wednesday, citing a police official.

------------------------------------

An American Airlines regional passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the Potomac River after a mid-air collision near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, officials said.

The Washington Post, citing sources, said multiple bodies had been pulled from the water. No survivors had so far been found, the newspaper reported. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said on social media that "we know there are fatalities," though he did not say how many.

American Airlines confirmed that 64 people were aboard the jet - including 60 passengers and four crew members. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter, a U.S. official said.

Some friends, family and relatives of passengers gathered at Reagan Washington National seeking more information.

One woman told an airport official, "I don't know if she got on there or not," in an apparent reference to a passenger on the crashed jet. She then collapsed in tears.

The U.S. Army said in a statement that it could "confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight's incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. We are working with local officials and will provide additional information once it becomes available."

A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the status of the three US Army soldiers was unknown, but added that no senior officials were on the helicopter.

Another official said the Army UH-60 helicopter involved in the crash was based out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

The BlackHawk was taking part in a training flight, said Heather Chairez, a spokesperson with the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region.

All the officials were citing initial information, which can change.

There has not been a fatal U.S. passenger airplane accident since February 2009, but a series of near-miss incidents in recent years have raised serious safety concerns.

A web camera shot from the Kennedy Center in Washington showed an explosion mid-air across the Potomac about 9:47 p.m. (1247 EAT) with an aircraft in flames falling rapidly.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said a PSA Airlines CRJ700 regional jet collided midair with the helicopter while on approach to Reagan.

PSA was operating Flight 5342 for American Airlines, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, according to the FAA.

Police said multiple agencies were involved in a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River, which borders the airport.

Dozens of police, ambulance and rescue units, some ferrying boats, staged along the river and raced to positions along the tarmac of Reagan airport. Live TV images showed several boats in the water, flashing blue and red lights.

The airport said late on Wednesday that all takeoffs and landings had been halted as emergency personnel responded to an aircraft incident.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a statement that he had been "fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport."

"May God bless their souls," he added. "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."

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering more information on the incident.

American Airlines said on social media that it was "aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been involved in an incident."

American Airlines said it would provide more information as it became available to the company.

Over the last two years, a series of near-miss incidents have raised concerns about U.S. aviation safety and the strain on understaffed air-traffic-control operations.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker stepped down on January 20 and the Trump administration has not named a replacement - or even disclosed who is running the agency on an interim basis.

The last deadly major crash involving a commercial airliner in the US was in 2009, when all 49 people aboard a Colgan Air flight died when the plane crashed in New York state. One person also died on the ground.