Plane Collides with Helicopter, Crashes into Potomac River

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A Black Hawk military helicopter collided in midair with a plane around 9 p.m. Wednesday, causing aircraft traffic to be halted at Ronald Reagan National Airport. The airport will reportedly be closed until 11 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Agency.

American Airlines Flight 5342, which was a PSA Airlines plane, out of Wichita, KS, collided with the helicopter in midair, leading to the aircraft landing into the Potomac River. Footage from the Kennedy Center captured the incident, where two sets of lights appeared to merge, resulting in an explosion in the distance.

“PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines,” FAA said in a statement. “It departed from Wichita, Kansas.”

American Airlines confirmed the plane had 60 passengers and four crew onboard. The Black Hawk helicopter was carrying three soldiers at the time of the crash,

Fire rescue boats and a Metropolitan Police Department helicopter responded to the scene, according to wtop.com. At the moment, it is not know if there are any injuries as a result of the crash.

President Donald Trump has been briefed about the crash. Newley sworn-in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is reportedly monitoring developments from the scene at the FAA’s headquarters in Washington D.C.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. Last updated at 10:51 p.m, Jan. 29.