ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — UDPATE 8:15AM, Thu. 1/30: DC’s fire chief in a 7:30am briefing said they had recovered remains of 27 of the 64 on-board the American Airlines regional jet on approach over the Potomac to Reagan National when it collided with a Fort Belvoir-based Army Blackhawk helicopter with 3 on-board around 9 Wednesday night. Remains of one on the Blackhawk have been recovered. He said the operation has turned from a search-and-rescue to a recovery mission as they believe there are no survivors. The Potomac was already dark and debris-filled, then elements from the aircraft along with jet fuel fell into the river making the search even more difficult. DC Mayor Marian Bowser said the operation has now been turned over to be led by the National Transportation Safety Board as DC was leading the initial response.

Air traffic radio transmissions showed the jet pilots and chopper crew members knew of each other’s presence in the air space, until the two collided in what witnesses describe as a fireball over the river. WTOP Radio National Security reporter JJ Green reported that air space near the airport has been crowded for years with commercial airliners and military aircraft. He described as “a delicate dance” air traffic control over the area where the crash occurred.

No word on if anyone local was on either aircraft, but US Figure Skating said some who had stayed behind for training after the US National Figure Skating competition last week in Wichita were on the flight. No names have been mentioned.

American Airlines has set up a designated help line for family and friends looking for information about their loved ones at 1-800-679-8215.

ORIGINAL:

A passenger jet collided Wednesday with an Army 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, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington were halted as helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a point near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport.

President Donald Trump was briefed, his press secretary said, and Vice President JD Vance encouraged followers on the social media platform X to “say a prayer for everyone involved.”

The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair collision occurred around 9 p.m. EST when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, crashed into a military Blackhawk helicopter while on approach to an airport runway.

In audio from the air traffic control tower around the time of the crash, a controller is heard asking the helicopter, “PAT25 do you have the CRJ in sight,” in reference to the passenger aircraft.

“Tower did you see that?” another pilot is heard calling seconds after the apparent collision.

The tower immediately began diverting other aircraft from Reagan.

In a post on social media, American Airlines said it was aware of reports that one of its flights was involved in the incident and said it would provide more information once available.

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.”

The 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.

No other details were immediately available.