American Airlines flight collides with Army helicopter near Reagan National, more than a dozen bodies recovered

An American Airlines flight and a military helicopter collided and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport Wednesday evening, D.C. Fire and EMS confirmed. First responders

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asks the helicopter if it has the arriving plane in sight: “PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight?” in reference to the passenger aircraft.

The controller makes another radio call to PAT25 moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.”

The two aircraft collide seconds later.

Video from the web camera network EarthCam shows the moment of the collision. It shows a big flash upon impact.

The audio from flight tracking sites doesn’t record any response from the helicopter, if any, to the warnings from air traffic control.

The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet (730 meters) short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river.

The airliner from Wichita, Kansas, had about 60 people aboard. Three people were aboard the helicopter. More than a dozen bodies have been recovered, sources said. At least four people have been recovered and were rushed to hospitals. A frantic search and rescue effort to find crash victims in the river is underway.

The water temperature was about 35° at the time of the crash, Storm Team4’s Doug Kammerer said. At that temperature, someone has 15 to 20 minutes before suffering from hypothermia, he said.

U.S. Figure Skating confirmed several of its members were on the American Airlines flight. The National Development Camp and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held in Wichita just days ago.

No official word on any deaths

Officials who held a press conference at Reagan National Airport did not announce any deaths, but they all had a somber tone.

Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas said “when one person dies it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die it’s an unbearable sorrow.”

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser would not say whether any bodies were recovered from the crash.

“I can’t say anything about the rescue operation right now,” she said.

Asked if there are any survivors, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly, responded: “We don’t know yet. But we’re working.”

The medical examiner’s office is preparing for the largest recovery of bodies they have handled in decades, a source told News4.

An FAA statement says: “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 [Eastern] time. PSA was operating Flight 5342 as American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas.”

President Donald Trump says he’s been briefed on the “terrible accident” at Reagan National Airport.

In a statement late Wednesday, Trump thanked first responders for their “incredible work,” noting that he was “monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”

“May God Bless their souls,” he added.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump questioned the tactics of the military helicopter and the air traffic controllers — both agencies that report to him as the president.

Writing that the “airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach for an extended period of time” on a “CLEAR NIGHT,” Trump questioned, “why didn’t the helicopter go up or down or turn,” and “why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.”

“What a terrible night this has been. God Bless you all!” he added in a subsequent post.

First responders from across D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia join search effort

A massive emergency response unfolded. Fireboats are in the water, and the Metropolitan Police Department also responded.

There are currently about 300 responders working on the rescue operation

D.C. Fire and EMS Chief Donnelly said at the early Thursday news conference that conditions are “extremely rough for responders,” with cold weather and intense wind.

The Potomac River is about 8 feet deep where the aircraft crashed after their collision.

“The water is dark. It is murky,” Connelly said.

Fire departments from all around the region staged at Gravelly Point north of Reagan National. News4 video shows a sea of fire trucks, ambulances and police cars on the banks of the Potomac.

A senior FBI official says Washington Field Office personnel are standing by to assist but there’s nothing to indicate anything criminal or terrorist related was involved in the crash.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she would be deploying all available resources from the U.S. Coast Guard for search and rescue efforts.

“We are actively monitoring the situation & stand ready to support local responders,” Noem said in a post on X.

All takeoffs and landings were stopped at Reagan National, which will remain closed until at least 11 a.m. Friday. Nineteen flights were diverted to Dulles International Airport.

The FAA said it and the NTSB will investigate, with the NTSB leading the investigation.

Stay with News4 and NBCWashington.com for updates to this breaking story.