American Airlines plane, helicopter collide midair near D.C.-area airport, FAA says

An American Airlines passenger jet and a helicopter collided Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside the nation’s capital, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

“A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time,” the preliminary statement read. It added that Flight 5342 had taken off from Wichita, Kansas.

“Small aircraft down in Potomac River vicinity Reagan National Airport. Fireboats on scene,” the DC Fire and EMS Department posted on X.

Airport officials say that all takeoffs and landings have been halted. In a post on X, the airport said emergency personnel are “responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield.”

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are both investigating, according to the FAA.