At least 18 bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River after a Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air with a commercial plane, splitting it in half, near Reagan National Airport in Virginia Wednesday night.
Flight 5342, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet operating for American Airlines and traveling from Wichita, Kan., collided with the military chopper while approaching Runway 33 at the Washington airport around 9 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Rescue crews and divers are actively searching the Potomac River for the 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the American Airlines flight and the three soldiers traveling in the military chopper, with first responders recovering the remains of at least 18 people, according to CBS News.
No survivors have been found, the outlet added.
“Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft,” American Airlines told The Post in a statement.
“We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts.”
A small airplane crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Virginia Wednesday night, according to fire officials.
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A small airplane crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Virginia Wednesday night, according to fire officials. Earth cam
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Moment American Airlines Flight 5432 collides with Blackhawk helicopter in fiery DC crash
The Army UH-60 helicopter involved in the crash was based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, according to the Army and Pentagon, with the flight reportedly a training exercise, Fox News reported.
The military chopper, which can carry 15 people, was not transporting any VIPs, a defense official told CNN.
Webcam footage from the Kennedy Center about five miles north captured what appeared to be a fireball erupting in the sky during the mid-air explosion.
Audio from Air Traffic Control captured the moment the flight safety agency reported the horrific mid-air collision — just minutes before the American Airlines flight was cleared to land.
“It was probably out in the middle river. I just saw a fireball and then it was gone,” the air traffic controller can be heard saying on audio shared on X.
“I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was CRJ and a helicopter that hit, I would say, maybe a half mile off the approach into 33,” the controller says in a call to Fire Command.
Fireboats quickly responded to the Potomac River, DC Fire and EMS Department officials said, with a “large amount of debris in the water” and a “casualty collection point” near the Metropolitan Police Department’s hanger where it houses its helicopter,” according to emergency dispatchers.
The American Airlines plane reportedly split in two and remains upside down and unstable as it floats in 7-feet of water near the shore of Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, NBC 4 reported, citing sources.
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls,” President Trump said in a statement.
“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.”
All takeoffs and landings have been halted at Reagan National Airport, the airport announced.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.
© New York Post