There were no details on the cause of the crash, with transport officials saying both aircraft were on standard flight patterns on a clear night with good visibility.
Scores of people were feared dead after the regional passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided and crashed into the frigid Potomac River. American Airlines confirmed 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the jet.
The helicopter, on a training flight, was carrying three soldiers, a US official said. CBS News , citing a police official, said at least 18 bodies had been recovered and reported that a dive team had recovered one of the two data recorders, the so-called black boxes, from the plane. The midair collision occurred as the passenger jet, travelling from Wichita in Kansas, was on approach to land at Reagan.
Radio communications between the air traffic control tower and the Black Hawk showed the helicopter crew knew the plane was in the vicinity. In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump questioned the actions of the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers on what he described as a clear night. Air traffic control recordings appear to capture the final attempted communications with the helicopter, call sign PAT25, before it collides with the plane, described as CRJ.
An air traffic controller then redirects planes heading to runway 33 to go around. Sadly, there are no survivors. He also blamed diversity policies under Democratic ex-presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for poor safety standards in the aviation sector. The president also claimed that air traffic control systems were not established properly.
