BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
An American Airlines passenger jet with 64 people on board has crashed midair into a military helicopter while attempting to land at Reagan National Airport in Washington.
Emergency services in the area are searching the nearby Potomac River after the jet plummeted into the water just before 9pm on Wednesday night.
Officials have not said how many people died in the accident but have suggested that there may be no survivors. It is the first major commercial air crash in the US in 16 years.
The bodies of 19 people have been recovered, according to news outlet CBS, with divers reported to be exploring three debris fields.
Among the dead are several members of the US figure skating community, including athletes, coaches and their family members, the sport’s governing body has said.
They had been returning home from the National Development Camp, an advanced training camp for promising young athletes which is held in conjunction with the US Figure Skating Championships, US Figure Skating said.
‘We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available,’ it added in a statement.
As many as 15 people on the flight may have been involved in figure skating, according to reports.
Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were also on board the plane, Russian state-run TASS news agency reported, citing a source.
The Federal Aviation Authority said that the jet, a Bombardier CRJ700, collided with a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Runway 33.
The plane was being operated as an American Eagle Flight by PSA Airlines for its parent carrier American Airlines.
A Married couple Shishkova, 53, and Naumov, 56, who won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994 had their son Maxim Naumov, 23, a prominent American skater, reportedly on the plane. He recently placed fourth at the US championships in Kansas.
The airline has confirmed that there were 60 passengers and four crew members on Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to the capital when the collision happened.
The plane is said to have split in two and is in around seven feet of water, while the helicopter is upside down and is unstable, according to the outlet.
In audio from the air traffic control tower around the time of the crash, a controller is heard asking the helicopter, ‘PAT25 do you have the CRJ in sight,’ in reference to the passenger aircraft.
‘Tower, did you see that?’ another pilot is heard calling seconds after the apparent collision. The tower immediately began diverting other aircraft from Reagan.
At a press conference, officials could not give any further information on casualties and could not confirm whether any bodies had been recovered.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did say that the FAA would study the crash and look at possibly changing flight paths around Reagan National.
Officials said there were 300 first responders out working in ‘complex and extremely rough’ conditions, citing ice still in the cold water.
Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said; ‘If you can imagine, the river is a large black spot at night with no lights on it, except for a few buoy lights.’
The airport said in a post to X: ‘All takeoffs and landings have been halted at DCA. Emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open. Will update.’
Footage has also emerged online of helicopters with search lights passing over the Potomac River.
Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to conjoin in a fireball.
Surveillance footage taken from inside the airport also captured the moment the two collided in midair.
