DEVELOPING: 28 Bodies Recovered After Passenger Jet Collides with Helicopter in Fireball Over DC

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DEVELOPING: 28 Bodies Recovered After Passenger Jet Collides with Helicopter in Fireball Over DC

A U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter collided with a commercial airliner in midair over Washington, D.C., while approaching Reagan National Airport Wednesday night, sending both aircraft plunging into the icy Potomac River. There are believed to be no survivors.

Search and rescue teams quickly reached the body of the plane which was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found. However, after an intense search in difficult conditions, rescue teams did not find any living victims.

American Airlines flight 5342 carried 64 passengers and crew. Three soldiers were on board the Army helicopter. Officials report recovering at least 28 bodies so far from the river. Now the race to rescue the victims has transitioned to a recovery mission.

A livestream from an EarthCam web camera captured the moment of impact as a fireball lit up the sky. Both aircraft then crashed into the Potomac, making rescue efforts difficult.

Eyewitness Ari Schulman was driving home when he looked up and saw the plane falling from the sky. “It was illuminated bright yellow underneath and there was a spray of sparks underneath – I knew something was wrong,” he said. 

Webcam at the Kennedy Center caught an explosion mid-air across the Potomac.

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Authorities say the passenger jet was inbound from Wichita, Kansas, and making its final approach to Reagan.

All the identities of the 60 passengers aboard the airliner have yet to be confirmed, but coaches, skaters, and others who had been in Wichita, Kansas for the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships were believed to have been on the flight.

Emergency personnel rushed to the scene in the late night hours, as officials scrambled boats and divers in the darkness, hoping to pull any possible survivors out of the frigid water.

“The water that we’re operating in is about eight feet deep. There is wind, there is pieces of ice out there, so it’s just dangerous and hard to work in,” said Washington D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly.

The investigation is now underway as officials try to determine what happened.

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu asked for prayer. “We really want to ask each and every Witchitan and every American to pray for everyone involved in this incident,” she said.

President Donald Trump said he had been “fully briefed on this terrible accident” and, referring to the passengers, added, “May God Bless their souls.” 

The CEO of Reagan National Airport said they have been providing support to the families impacted. The airport will be closed until later today.

CBN News Covered the Breaking News in the Overnight Hours:

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#DEVELOPING #Bodies #Recovered #Passenger #Jet #Collides #Helicopter #Fireball

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