A passenger jet collided Wednesday with a military helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.
There was no immediate word on casualties, though Reuters reported shortly before 11 p.m. ET that at least two bodies had been pulled from the river. This, based on coverage by an NBC affiliate, WBAL.
Wires reported three soldiers were aboard the chopper, their status unknown at press time.
Meanwhile, takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington were halted as helicopters from agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. Inflatable rescue boats were being launched into the Potomac River from a point near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport.
Reuters said that the downed jet was in the Potomac.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, offered a statement on X apparently confirming word that the crash was a fatal one, though he had no specifics.
Cruz said simply," While we don’t yet know how many on board were lost, we know there are fatalities."
The White House was briefed on the crash, according to multiple sources. Trump was said to be monitoiring this "terrible accident."
"Please say a prayer for everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport this evening. We're monitoring the situation, but for now let's hope for the best," Vice President J.D. Vance said via his social media account on X.
Trump released this statement: "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.”
Details Begin to Emerge
The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair collision occurred around 9 p.m. EST when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, smashed into a military Blackhawk helicopter while on approach to an airport runway.
Reuters also said that a U.S. military official had confirmed the helicopter was an Army Blackhawk. The wire service also reported that according to one military official, no senior Army personnel were aboard the Blackhawk.
Three Army soldiers were onboard the helicopter, a federal official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.
Another official said the Army UH-60 helicopter involved in the crash was based out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The official was citing initial information, which could change.
Ihe incident recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plummeted into the Potomac on January 13, 1982, that killed 78 people. That crash was attributed to bad weather.
The Scene
Multiple helicopters, including those from the U.S. Park Police and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. military, were flying over the scene of the incident in the Potomac River. D.C. Fire and EMS said on X that fireboats were on the scene.
Washington, D.C., police said on the social platform X that multiple agencies are conducting a search and rescue effort in the Potomac River after an aircraft crash.
Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.
The airport said emergency personnel were responding to “an aircraft incident on the airfield.”
Newsmax and Reuters contributed to this report.
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