On late Wednesday, a passenger plane carrying over 60 people collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport outside Washington, DC, confirmed by Federal Aviation Administration and defence officials. The Metropolitan Police Department has reported no confirmed fatalities from the incident yet. The aircraft included, American Airlines Flight 5342, was carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew members, and had departed from Wichita, Kansas, according to the airline.
Later, the White House confirmed the involvement of a military helicopter in the crash. The aircraft involved, American Airlines Flight 5342, was carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew members, and had departed from Wichita, Kansas, according to the media reports. The White House later confirmed the involvement of a military helicopter in the crash. “Tower did you see that?” another pilot is heard calling seconds following the apparent collision.
The tower immediately started diverting other aircraft from Reagan. In a post on social media, American Airlines said it was aware of the reports that one of its flights was involved in the incident and said it would provide more information once available. Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.
‘Emergency personnel were responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield’, said the airport. The incident recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plummeted into the Potomac on January 13, 1982, that killed 78 people. That crash was attributed to bad weather.
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