CNN
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Hundreds of first responders are diving in frigid water looking for survivors after a passenger plane collided with a US Army helicopter midair at Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC, Wednesday.
Emergency personnel are conducting search and rescue efforts in the Potomac River, where the plane and helicopter crashed, with authorities warning the operation will likely take days.
Law enforcement sources said there are confirmed fatalities, though they did not specify how many, and that no survivors have been recovered so far.
There were 64 people on board the plane and the three soldiers in the Army helicopter, according to DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Here’s what we know about the crash, which experts warn could be the deadliest air disaster involving a US passenger plane in decades.
The passenger plane was American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by PSA airlines, traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan National Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
The plane, a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, was due to land at the airport outside of Washington, DC, Wednesday evening when it collided midair with the US Army helicopter as it approached the runway, according to the FAA and defense officials.
Flight records showed the plane was expected to land around 9 p.m. local time. DC Police said it received calls at 8:53 p.m. about “an aircraft crash above the Potomac River.”
The US Army Blackhawk helicopter was on a training flight at the time of the incident, Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region media chief Heather Chairez told CNN.
The 12th Aviation Battalion, based out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia, provides helicopter transportation and “technical rescue support” to the National Capital Region. It remains unclear where the Black Hawk took off from before the collision.
All takeoffs and landings have been halted at Reagan National Airport until 11 a.m. local time Thursday, officials said.
A video of the crash filmed by EarthCam shows what appears to be the helicopter and plane colliding in the sky, resulting in a fiery explosion.
Ari Schulman told CNN he was driving home when he witnessed the collision.
“Initially I saw the plane and it looked fine. Normal. It was right about to head over land, maybe 120 feet above the water,” Schulman said. Seconds later, the plane “was banked all the way to the right… past 90 degrees.”
“I could see the underside of it. It was lit up a very bright yellow, and there was a stream of sparks underneath it” and then everything went dark, he said.
The airspace over Reagan National Airport is among the busiest in the country, and passenger planes frequently share the airspace with helicopters.
Air traffic controller audio obtained by CNN from LiveATC.net captured air traffic control operators directing the helicopter to pass behind the passenger plane.
An air traffic controller said, “PAT 2-5 do you have the CRJ in sight?”
The controller then said, “PAT 2-5 pass behind the CRJ.”
Additional air traffic control audio shortly before the collision captures the helicopter pilot saying, “PAT 2-5 has aircraft in sight, request visual separation.”
Less than 13 seconds later, the audio then captured audible gasps, including a loud “oooh” in the background apparently from the tower, at the moment of the crash.
American Airlines told CNN there were sixty passengers and 4 crew on board the flight.
The US Army helicopter had a crew of three and was not carrying any VIPs, according to a US defense official. Senior Army officials often use Black Hawks for travel in the Washington, DC, area.
Officials would not say whether anyone had been confirmed dead at a press conference early Thursday.
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American Airlines has set up a center at the airport and issued a hotline for the family members and friends of the passengers aboard the flight.
There were people at the airport “who were there to pick up loved ones,” said Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter.
Hamaad Raza, whose wife was on the plane, told CNN affiliate WUSA he had received a text from her to say she was “landing in 20 minutes,” but then his messages stopped delivering.
“I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now as we speak,” Raza told WUSA.
“Several members” of the US figure skating community were on board the flight after participating in events related to the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas, the national governing body of the sport confirmed.
Two Russian figure skaters were also onboard, Russian state media TASS reported, citing a source.
Kansas Senator Jerry Moran described the crash as “a very personal circumstance” for Kansans. “We’re going to know people who are on this flight, know their family members,” Moran said in a press conference.
About 300 first responders are battling dark, cold and windy conditions as they search for possible survivors in the Potomac River in near-freezing temperatures.
“It’s a highly complex operation. The conditions out there are extremely rough,” John Donnelly, DC Fire and EMS Chief said at a press conference early Thursday.
The section of the river that the divers are working in is about 8 feet deep, dark and murky with floating pieces of ice, Donnelly said, adding search efforts will likely take days.
Temperatures in the river are currently hovering around 35 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, raising fears about hypothermia and other adverse reactions.
Sudden immersion in such frigid water, known as cold shock, can trigger immediate physiological responses such as uncontrolled gasping, rapid breathing or hyperventilation, according to the National Weather Service.
The dangers escalate with prolonged exposure. Hypothermia begins when the body’s core temperature falls to 95 degrees, a process that can start within moments in water this cold.
In 35-degree water, individuals may lose dexterity in as little as three minutes, with unconsciousness occurring within 15 to 30 minutes, according to the weather service. Survival times in such conditions are estimated to range between 30 and 90 minutes.
President Donald Trump said he was “fully briefed” on the collision and was “monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. 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,” Trump said in a statement.
In a separate post on Truth Social, Trump called the crash “a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.” It was not clear what information his post was based on.
Vice President JD Vance asked for prayers for “everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport” in a post to social media.
“We’re monitoring the situation, but for now let’s hope for the best,” he wrote on X.