A Republic Airways passenger jet was forced to abort its first attempt to land at Reagan National Airport after a helicopter appeared in its flight path on Tuesday, 24 hours before the plane crash between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The Post cited an audio recording from air traffic control.
Republic Airways Flight 4514 from Windsor Locks, Connecticut, landed safely on its second approach to the airport Tuesday night, the Post reported.
All 67 people aboard the American Airlines jet and the Black Hawk are presumed dead, officials said Thursday. At least 28 bodies have been pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the American Airlines regional jet late Wednesday. Crews continued to recover remains throughout the day Thursday, the Post reported.
The passenger plane, flying in from Wichita, Kansas, carried 60 passengers and four crew.
The Black Hawk was on a training flight and carried three service members.
The Army saw 15 flight and two ground Class A incidents in fiscal year 2024, according to safety data obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act and a January 2025 Army aviation safety report.
Class A incidents are any aviation accident that results in the destruction of the aircraft, deaths of service members or more than $2.5 million in damage to the airframe.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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