WASHINGTON, USA — A regional jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided with a U.S. Army helicopter while attempting to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, evening.
The Black Hawk was carrying three on board.
The crash triggered a large-scale search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River, but officials now believe there are no survivors.
“We are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors,” D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly announced at a press conference early Thursday.
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What We Know So Far
The collision occurred at approximately 9 p.m. local time while the CRJ700 regional jet was on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The commercial aircraft was an American Airlines flight that originated from Wichita, Kansas.
The Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter belonged to the U.S. Army and was on a training flight at the time of the accident, with three soldiers on board.
Thirty bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River, though officials have not confirmed their identities.
The response effort included over 300 emergency personnel operating under frigid conditions, with heavy winds and ice on the water complicating search efforts.
Federal Investigation Underway
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into the crash.
Officials have not yet determined what led to the midair collision, but air traffic control recordings, flight data, and witness accounts will be examined to piece together the moments before impact.
Both aircraft were on approach to Reagan National Airport, one of the busiest airports in the country.
Investigators are looking into possible communication failures, airspace conflicts, and weather conditions that could have contributed to the disaster.
Political Fallout
The crash has already drawn political criticism. President Donald Trump took to Truth Social shortly after the incident, blaming former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for prioritizing diversity initiatives at the FAA, implying that such policies led to incompetence.
Trump also blamed the Obama administration, claiming it left behind a pool of air traffic controllers who were not up to standard.
“The air traffic controllers I inherited needed to be of superior intelligence. This is what happens when you prioritize DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) over safety,” Trump wrote.
Critics were quick to push back on the president’s remarks, arguing that air traffic control hiring and training standards are among the most stringent in the world and that the cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
Ongoing Recovery Efforts
With the search effort shifting to a recovery operation, authorities are now focusing on locating additional remains, retrieving aircraft debris, and securing black box recorders to assist in the investigation.
Family members of the victims are being notified, and grief counselors have been dispatched to Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, where the American Airlines flight originated.
As federal investigators begin their probe, authorities have urged patience and restraint in drawing conclusions about what went wrong. More details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses.
