A regional passenger plane from PSA Airlines collided with a helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport, near Washington D.C. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the collision is still under investigation.
There is no immediate information about victims, but all takeoffs and landings at the airport near Washington have been suspended.
How did the accident in Washington occur?
A video from a surveillance camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights, consistent with aircraft, appearing to merge into a fireball. The images would correspond to the Army's Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle airplane operated by PSA Airlines with 64 people on board coming from Wichita, Kansas and scheduled to land at the nearest airport to the capital at 9 pm.
The helicopter is a Sikorsky H-60 and the plane is a Bombardier CRJ700.
Rescue vehicles were located on both banks of the icy waters of the Potomac River in search of survivors.
NBC News reported that four people were rescued alive, although they did not provide information about their health condition.
PSA Airlines is an American regional airline that operates flights under the American Eagle brand, the regional division of American Airlines. It is a subsidiary of American Airlines Group, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio.
The incident recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plunged into the Potomac River on January 13, 1982, claiming the lives of 78 people. This incident was attributed to bad weather.
President Donald Trump released an statement and said that “I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”