3 hours ago
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Footage from flight radar captured the moment an
American Airlines regional jet
collided with a military helicopter near Washington, DC, sending both aircraft crashing into the Potomac River and killing all 64 people on board. The incident, which unfolded late Wednesday, occurred just over three miles from the White House in one of the most tightly controlled airspaces in the world.
The crash involved a Bombardier CRJ-701 jet arriving from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers and four crew members, and a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers on a training exercise. According to flight tracking data, air traffic controllers had cleared the jet for a shorter runway landing, adjusting its approach moments before the collision. Less than 30 seconds before impact, a controller reportedly asked the helicopter crew if they had the jet in sight, but there was no response. The collision occurred seconds later, cutting off the jet’s radio transponder signal over the middle of the river.
Rescue teams worked through the night, but by Thursday morning, the operation turned into a recovery mission. Officials reported that the wreckage of both aircraft had been located in the river, with the jet found in three sections, upside down in waist-deep water. At least 28 bodies had been recovered by early Thursday.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into the crash, examining communication records between air traffic controllers and the two aircraft. One controller was handling both helicopter and fixed-wing traffic at the time, a duty typically split between two people. An internal Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report described this as an unusual configuration, though a source familiar with tower operations maintained that staffing levels were normal.
President Donald Trump addressed the crash in a White House news conference, declaring that there were no survivors. He observed a moment of silence but then criticised air traffic management, blaming diversity initiatives at the FAA without providing evidence. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that altitude appeared to be a key factor, as the helicopter was restricted to 200 feet at the time of the incident.
The victims included teenage figure skaters from the Skating Club of Boston, their coaches, and parents, returning from a championship development camp. Also among the dead were four union steamfitters, three Fairfax County students, six parents, and two Chinese nationals, according to officials. Army aviation officials stated that the helicopter crew was highly experienced, with extensive knowledge of flying in the congested Washington airspace.
