American Airlines flight mid-air collision with army helicopter, crashes into river
 

An American Airlines flight has collided in mid-air with a helicopter in Washington DC, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says

The plane crashed in the Potomac River, which weaves through DC, according to the DC Fire and EMS Department

The jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, and three US Army soldiers were on board the military helicopter

Police divers and boats are searching the water for survivors, while US authorities are investigating
The collision happened on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9pm local time, the FAA says in a statement to CBS News

US President Donald Trump says he has been briefed on the "terrible accident" and thanks emergency responders for their "incredible work"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy7kxx74yxlt

Tragic. Just seen the video. Nobody survives that.

Yeah I saw that too. What on Earth was the army helicopter doing?

There’s about to be a press conference so I imagine they’ll start announcing the death toll soon.

DC Mayor Bowser says rescuers working in 'very dark and cold conditions'
published at 05:59
05:59
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser starts the press conference, calling tonight's event "very tragic".
She says emergency services from across the Washington metropolitan region are "working diligently" in "very dark and cold conditions" to execute the rescue operation on the Potomac River after the plane crash.
Bowser says American Airlines officials are at the airport and are talking to families. The flight company's leadership is also on the way to DC.

it's tragic, i wonder what the army helicopter was doing there and why it wasn't co-ordinating with air traffic control

I can’t see many, if any, survived that. If they survived the crash and then didn’t drown, the icy waters will have got them. :(

…’ Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights consistent with separate aircraft appearing to conjoin in a fireball...’.

…can we imagine the horror of seeing that as it’s happening…devastating news to wake up to…

This is awful

…I’ll spoiler this X post that someone captured at the moment of impact…

Hopefully it's not the case but the actions of the helicopter almost seem like they could only be deliberate?

it's like they weren't coordinating with the civilian ATC at all, which is crazy

Tragic

Could be a terrorist attack?

So Far
19 Dead, recovered.

U.S. Figure Skating, the official body for figure skating in the United States, revealed that “several members of our skating community” were aboard the American Airlines regional flight that crashed into an Army Black Hawk helicopter above Reagan International Airport in D.C.
“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” the organization said in an official statement.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” it said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”

https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-c...re-skating.jpg

Over 64 feared dead
in Freezing water.

Pilot in the Military Helicopter
missed this plane
tragic they got sloppy

I do not think so
more like a Military Pilot's tragic error.

Not being aware

…ironically a training mission as well…

Should not do that at night.

Horrific

Makes you wonder, what the hell is really going on.

The 3 Military
in the Expensive Black Hawk Helicopter
also likely to be dead

This is very suspect imo

30 bodies found now.

…such a harrowing thing for all of those involved in the recovery…it really is just a ticking off the passenger and staff list process, isn’t it…plus those that were in the helicopter…

Not uncommon for there to be a lot of helicopters around Washington (for obvious reasons) and from what I've been reading, there have been people (in aviation) saying for years that it's a risk, specifically, passenger planes on take off or landing colliding with a helicopter (exactly what happened). The timing perhaps seems sus with all of the political goings-on, but I think it was perhaps "an accident waiting to happen". People were raising concerns for a while.

Yeah seems that way :suspect:

28 Dead collected
now.


Press Conference is now taking questions
Live

The equipment that would have allowed air traffic to see it and for the helicopter pilot to be alerted to planes in the vicinity was turned off..... that seems like a very basic thing to do if you are a pilot, like getting in a car and checking your mirrors before moving off.....I dunno, there have been two incidents already with members of the military, New Orleans and the car being blown up at Trump Towers, . if it was an error it really was a school boy one that is quite shocking when taking off at a busy airport

The Military Helicopter
had another plane,
way above him - that may have confused him?

And,
also The Control Tower
appears to have failed


They have played some tapes
on News and Radio

oh Donald :notimpressed:


you do your job, and let the NTSB do theirs

okay

:umm2:

Yes you have to wonder if it was deliberate.

I'm not sure people comprehend how difficult it would be to fly a helicopter into the side of a plane, moving perpendicularly, on purpose. The pilot might have been being reckless/incompetent but it being a deliberate attack is more or less impossible.

what if there is a problem with the location of the airport instead :think:

however

after those incidents

did the airport officials actually go through with these extra measures, that is now the question

Yes
Wrong Instructions are Deadly.

Jesus. I didn’t know about this and it’s right around the corner from me. I was told by a coworker this morning. She said there was only 6 deaths.

I didn’t realise it was that bad.

From what I remember, a black hawk is usually used for stealthy missions or whatever. I hope it wasn’t on purpose