BREAKING NEWS: MID-AIR CATASTROPHE—PASSENGER PLANE COLLIDES WITH US ARMY BLACK HAWK NEAR WASHINGTON, DC

Washington, DC – In a devastating midair collision that has sent shockwaves across the nation, an American Airlines passenger aircraft carrying 64 people crashed into a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport late Wednesday night, plunging into the freezing Potomac River.

Rescue operations are underway, but law enforcement sources have confirmed multiple fatalities. As of this report, no survivors have been pulled from the water, and the wreckage of both the plane and helicopter is scattered across the crash site. Emergency responders—over 300 strong—are battling against time and extreme weather conditions in a desperate bid to recover victims and possible survivors.

Tragic Details Emerge

The ill-fated aircraft, American Airlines Flight 5342, had just taken off from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. The military helicopter, a UH-60 Black Hawk, was engaged in a routine training flight when the midair disaster unfolded. Three soldiers were on board the helicopter.

Eyewitness accounts suggest the aircrafts’ trajectories intersected at a dangerously low altitude, raising urgent questions about air traffic control operations and possible communication failures. Debris from the collision was seen falling from the sky before both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River.

DC mayor confirms 64 people aboard plane and 3 people on military helicopter

Picture: Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser addresses the media.

Reagan National Airport in Lockdown

Authorities have shut down Reagan National Airport until at least 11 a.m. ET Thursday as emergency crews work through the night. The closure is expected to cause significant disruptions in air travel, with ripple effects extending to airports nationwide.

Presidential Reaction and Investigation Underway

President Donald Trump responded to the tragedy on Truth Social, calling the collision “a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.” His remarks have intensified public scrutiny on aviation safety protocols and military training exercises near commercial flight paths.

Aviation and defense experts have already launched a full-scale investigation into what caused the collision. Questions are mounting about possible miscommunications between air traffic control and military operations, flight path conflicts, and whether adverse weather conditions played a role.

Aviation Experts Weigh In

Aviation analysts are describing this as one of the deadliest midair collisions in recent US history.

“Midair collisions of this magnitude are exceedingly rare, especially near a high-security zone like Washington, DC,” said former NTSB investigator Mark Caldwell. “There will be intense scrutiny on how a military aircraft and a commercial jet found themselves on a collision course.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are leading the probe, with cooperation from the Department of Defense and American Airlines. Officials have not yet disclosed whether flight data recorders from both aircraft have been recovered.

A Nation in Mourning

The disaster has already sent shockwaves through the aviation and military communities. Families of the victims are being notified, and grief counselors have been deployed at both Reagan National and Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport.

As the nation watches in horror, the search for answers—and survivors—continues.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned for further updates.