American Airlines Flight 5342 was struck in mid-air by a military helicopter containing three personnel on Wednesday night. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, with DC Fire and EMS responding, and rescue and recovery units dispatched to the site.
“A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in mid-air with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time. PSA was operating Flight 5342 as American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement, adding: “The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation.”
A webcam at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, caught the collision and subsequent crash on video.
Dear God, the webcam at the Kennedy Center caught the collision. pic.twitter.com/rI6knmj5vP
— Ben Goldey (@BenGoldey) January 30, 2025
In response to the incident—the deadliest since a commercial airliner crashed in Queens just weeks after 9/11–flights arriving and departing from Reagan National Airport were temporarily halted.
President Trump issued a statement Wednesday night: “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.”
Despite initial national security concerns, the incident currently appears to have been a legitimate accident, though further investigation into the cause will continue.
Washington’s Reagan National Airport has witnessed a handful of Air Traffic Control incidents in recent years, and is technically one of the hardest to navigate in the nation, operating with highly restricted flying space and shared military space near Joint Base Anacostia Bolling and the Pentagon.