Flight Safety Information - January 29, 2025 SPECIAL In This Issue : Passenger aircraft crashes in Potomac River near Reagan National Airport : Overnight Chaos in D.C. After Mid-Air Plane Collision : Regional jet down in Potomac River near Reagan Airport, search and rescue underway : American Airlines flight collides with helicopter in Washington DC Passenger aircraft crashes in Potomac River near Reagan National Airport What we know now • A passenger aircraft crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, DC, after it collided midair with a helicopter as it approached the runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. • The plane was Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas, earlier on Wednesday. • All takeoffs and landings have been halted at Reagan National Airport, and “emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open,” Reagan National Airport said in a post on X. https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/plane-crash-dca-potomac-washington-dc-01-29-25/index.html Overnight Chaos in D.C. After Mid-Air Plane Collision A passenger plane collided midair with a Black Hawk helicopter and crashed in the Potomac river near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside of Washington, DC, Wednesday evening. The DC Fire and EMS Department confirmed the news on X Wednesday at 9:09 p.m. EST writing:“Confirmed small aircraft down in Potomac River vicinity Reagan National Airport. Fireboats on scene.” Later, the FAA confirmed to CNN a mid-air collision. The airport also previously announced that all takeoff and landings had been halted as emergency personnel were responding to the scene. https://www.thedailybeast.com/overnight-chaos-in-dc-after-mid-air-plane-collision-with-helicopter/ Regional jet down in Potomac River near Reagan Airport, search and rescue underway The airport in Arlington, Virginia, was closed by officials on Wednesday night. A regional jet collided with a helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia on Wednesday evening, according to DC Fire and EMS. The aircraft went down in the Potomac River vicinity of the airport. Officials said fireboats were on the scene. The Federal Aviation Administration said preliminary information indicates a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to the airport around 9 p.m. local time. The jet departed from Wichita, Kansas, according to the FAA. "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," the airport wrote on X. A multi-agency search and rescue operation is underway, according to DC police. https://abcnews.go.com/US/reagan-national-airport-closed-due-aircraft-emergency/story?id=118246693 American Airlines flight collides with helicopter in Washington DC An American Airlines flight collided with a helicopter as it approached Washington DC's Ronald Reagan National Airport, officials say. It came down in the Potomac River, officials said, and search and rescue boats have been deployed to the area. The Federal Aviation Administration said the Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet - which seats up to 78 people - collided with the helicopter as it was approaching the runway at around 21:00 EST (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday. The plane was American Airlines Flight 5342 coming from Wichita, Kansas, according to the agency. Takeoffs and landings have been halted at the airport as emergency personnel respond to the incident, the airport wrote in a post on X. The Federal Aviation Administration said it was conducting an investigation into the crash. The Metropolitan Police Department said a search and rescue operation was under way in the Potomac River with help from multiple agencies. Local police said the helicopter involved in the crash did not belong to the police department. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79d7y0l03po Curt Lewis