Passenger plane, helicopter collide near Washington airport
Lights from emergency vehicles are seen at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, after an air crash near the Potomac River on 29 January 2025.
Ting Shen / AFP
Lights from emergency vehicles are seen at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, after an air crash near the Potomac River on 29 January 2025.
Ting Shen / AFP
A regional jet from Kansas crashed into Washington's Potomac River after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, prompting a major emergency response and grounding all flights.
President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stating on Fox News that "tragically, it appears that a military helicopter collided with a regional jet."
No immediate information was provided on the number of people aboard either aircraft or details about casualties.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the grounding of all flights at Reagan National Airport, while Washington police said on X that "multiple agencies" were responding to the crash site in the Potomac. Fireboats have also joined the operation on the chilly river.
According to the FAA, a PSA Airlines Bombardier regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter as it was approaching for landing at Reagan at around 9 PM. The jet had departed from Wichita, Kansas.
This is a developing story.
