Rescue teams combed the icy waters of Washington’s Potomac River on Thursday in an urgent search for survivors after a mid-air collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter led to both aircraft plunging into the river.
Despite an overnight operation that stretched nearly 12 hours, much of it in complete darkness, authorities had yet to confirm any survivors. “We’re going to be out there as long as it takes,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters.
Citing local sources, CBS News reported that at least 19 bodies had been recovered, while NBC put the toll at 30. Emergency vessels, equipped with powerful searchlights, continued scouring the crash site at dawn, while divers deployed from inflatables meticulously searched the wreckage-strewn waters.
The passenger jet, a Bombardier aircraft operated by an American Airlines subsidiary, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. It was approaching Reagan National Airport around 9:00 p.m. (0200 GMT) following its departure from Wichita, Kansas, when it collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter.
The military aircraft, carrying three soldiers, was reportedly conducting a training flight. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River following the impact. Dramatic air traffic control recordings captured moments before the collision, with controllers repeatedly instructing the helicopter to ensure it had the passenger jet “in sight.” Just before the crash, they directed the helicopter to “pass behind” the plane.
“I just saw a fireball, and it was gone,” an air traffic controller was heard saying after losing communication with the helicopter. Witness Ari Schulman, who was driving nearby, described the horrifying scene. “Initially, I saw the plane, and it looked normal,” he told CNN. “Three seconds later, it banked sharply to the right
The underside was glowing bright yellow, and there was a stream of sparks beneath it. It looked like a Roman candle.” US Figure Skating confirmed that several athletes, coaches, and officials were aboard the ill-fated flight. Russian authorities also confirmed that Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, a married couple who won the 1994 world pairs figure skating title, were among the passengers.
In the wake of the disaster, American Airlines’ chief executive released a video statement expressing “deep sorrow,” while US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas described the collision as “nothing short of a nightmare.” President Donald Trump, in an official statement, acknowledged being “fully briefed” on the tragedy.
However, he took to social media to criticise the handling of air traffic control instructions. “The aeroplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the aeroplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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? This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
Experts warned that survival chances in the frigid waters were slim. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded the Potomac’s temperature at 36 degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 degrees Celsius) on Wednesday.
According to the National Weather Service, exposure to such cold water can cause shock within the first minute, loss of muscle control within 10 minutes, and hypothermia within 20 to 30 minutes. In response to the disaster, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a temporary grounding of all flights at Reagan National.
The incident has raised questions about how a passenger plane, equipped with modern collision-avoidance technology and monitored by air traffic controllers, could collide with a military helicopter in the heavily regulated airspace over the US capital.
Washington’s skies are typically crowded with commercial aircraft and helicopters transporting military personnel, government officials, and emergency responders. The tragedy also recalls the deadly January 1982 crash at the same airport, when Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737, failed to gain altitude after take-off, struck the 14th Street Bridge, and crashed into the frozen Potomac River, killing 78 people. Rescue efforts continue as authorities work to recover the remaining bodies and investigate the cause of the fatal collision.
*(AFP contributed to this report.)
