At nearly 1 AM Thursday morning officials in Washington, D.C. held a press conference regarding the mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army UH-60 helicopter that took place around 9 PM Wednesday night. As RedState previously reported, according to DC police scanner traffic, at least 18 bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River.
According to reports prior to the press conference, the helicopter was located upside down, submerged in the Potomac River, and the fuselage of the American Airlines jet was visible above the waterline.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy opened the conference by saying he had spoken with President Trump and regional leaders about the crash and that the Department of Transportation will "offer full support to those on the ground, [and] also to the NTSB, who is going to be conducting the investigation into this matter."
Washington D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said there are about 300 responders working the incident and multiple fire and police boats on scene and that the windy and cold conditions are "extremely rough" for responders. The water is about 8 feet deep, Donnelly explained, and icy. Donnelly would not give any casualty numbers, and said they hoped to find survivors but had not located any yet.
Prior to the news conference, officials announced that Reagan National Airport would be closed until 5 AM Friday morning.
Playback purportedly from the official Air Traffic Control radar was shared on X:
According to Rawsalerts' source:
This alert is not for an imminent collision but serves as a tool to draw heightened attention from the controllers to potential risks. The footage then captures the critical moment when both aircraft collided, emphasizing the urgency of the controllers' split-second decisions. The radar data provides a detailed view of the events leading up to the crash, offering valuable insight into the sequence of actions and how the situation ultimately unfolded.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom released a video statement late Wednesday about the crash:
Watch the news conference below: