Washington DC Plane Crash updates: President Donald Trump said he had been “fully briefed” on the accident and said of any victims, “may God bless their souls’.
Scores of people were feared dead after an American Airlines regional passengers jet carrying 64 people crashed into Washington DC’s Potomac River on Wednesday. After colliding mid-air with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport. A US Army official said the helicopter was carrying three soldiers and their status is currently unknown. Although there is no confirmed information on casualties at this time. The Washington Post reported that police had started to pull multiple bodies from the chilly waters. No survivors had been found so far, the newspaper.
According to a report by CBS, at least 18 bodies have been recovered from the crash site. American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas to Washington Reagan National Airport has been involved in an incident. “The airline said it would provide more information as it became available to the company.
What we know about the passenger plane collision near Washington, DC?
The passenger plane was American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, travelling from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan National. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
The Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet was due to land at the airport Wednesday night when it approached Runway 33. According to the FAA and defense officials. Flight records showed the plane was expected to land around 9 p.m. local time. DC Police said it received calls at 8:53 p.m. about “an aircraft crash above the Potomac River”.
The US Army Blackhawk helicopter was on a training flight at the time. Joint Task Force National Capitol Region media chief Heather Chairez told CNN. The 12th Aviation Battalion, based out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia, provides helicopter transportation and “technical rescue support” to the National Capital Region. It remains unclear where the Black Hawk took off from before the collision.
” Last night, the helicopter was in a standard pattern. The American Airlines flight coming into land was in a standard flight pattern as it was coming into DCA. So this was not unusual,” newly sworn in Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said.
