On the night of January 29th, 2025 an American Airlines CRJ-700 regional jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was involved in a mid air collision with a U.S. Army H-60 “Black Hawk” helicopter, carrying three army personnel on a training mission, over the Potomac River in Washington D.C. The collision left zero survivors with only 42 of the 67 bodies being recovered.
What happened?
American Eagle flight No. 5342 collided with a U.S. Army “Black Hawk” helicopter over the Potomac river while on its final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) at 8:48 P.M. E.S.T. on Wednesday January 29th, 2025. American Eagle flight No. 5342 departed from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (KICT) at about 4:00 P.M. local time and left for Reagan Washington National Airport. When arriving at Reagan Washington National Airport the passenger jet was cleared for landing on runway 33. As flight 5342 was on its final approach for the runway the H-60 “Black Hawk” helicopter, which was returning after a training mission, collided with into the side of the CRJ’s fuselage which caused both the helicopter and the passenger jet to fall out of the sky and the Potomac River. After numerous hours spent searching for any survivors from the incident, 42 bodies have been recovered and zero survivors found. Among the 60 passengers were 6 members of the Skating Club of Boston. It is still unclear as to what caused the two planes to collide as both had acknowledged each other as heard from ATC audio. The CRJ had their landing lights on however it is more than likely that the H-60 could not see the lights as an aircraft’s landing lights tend to face forward only.
Deadliest aviation incident since 2001
This incident in Washington D.C. has now been marked as the deadliest aviation incident on American soil in nearly 24 years, in 2001. Not only is this the deadliest aviation incident since 2001 but it is also the deadliest mid air collision since 1997.
Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/crash-reagan-national-airport-washington-dc/
https://apnews.com/article/sean-duffy-transportation-crash-dca-5d372d1945929293f10c1f0de58df3cc
