Emergency personnel and divers work at the site of the crash after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River, outside Washington, US, Jan 30, 2025. [Photo/Agencies]
WASHINGTON - The Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. will remain closed until at least 11:00 am Thursday (1600 GMT) as the search and rescue operation continues through the night amid harsh conditions following the collision of the plane and an Army Blackhawk helicopter, officials said early Thursday at a press briefing.
The duration of the airport's closure was provided by Jack Potter, the president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. He added that the other airport in the US capital, Dulles International Airport, will operate normally.
John Donnelly, chief of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, told reporters at the briefing that about 300 responders were involved in the search and rescue operation, which was a collaboration among multiple agencies at the federal and state levels.
"It's a highly complex operation. The conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders. It's cold. They're dealing with relatively windy conditions. Wind is hard out on the river," Donnelly said.
Officials at the briefing didn't provide an update as to how many bodies were pulled out of the Potomac River, into which the collided aircraft crashed. No survivors have been found yet.
American Airlines, which operated the passenger plane, said in a statement that 60 passengers and four crew members were on board. The airliner has set up a hotline for those with loved ones onboard the plane. Several skaters were on the passenger plane, US Figure Skating said on Thursday.
The airliner's CEO, Robert Isom, said in a video he would be heading to Washington D.C. shortly, adding that the airliner was "fully cooperating" with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) "without pause" as the NTSB was investigating the incident. "We want to learn everything about today's events," he said.
Three soldiers were on board the Blackhawk, CNN reported, citing a US defense official. The helicopter was on a training flight when the collision occurred, Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region media chief Heather Chairez said in a statement provided to the press.
US President Donald Trump said in a statement that he had been "fully briefed on the terrible accident" and that he was "monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise".
The president later wrote a long post on Truth Social, describing the collision as "a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented".
"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn't the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane," Trump wrote. It was unclear if his comments were based on information that he had been briefed on.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on the social platform X that the Pentagon is "actively monitoring" the situation and is "poised to assist if needed".
The US Federal Aviation Administration said that the midair collision occurred around 9 pm local time (0200 GMT Thursday), involving a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and a military Blackhawk helicopter, and that all takeoffs and landings from the airport have been halted until 11 am on Thursday.
