Officials feared the possibility of several deaths early Thursday hours after a commercial jet from Kansas carrying 60 passengers and four crew collided midair with an Army helicopter during the plane’s approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser did not share the number of casualties or survivors during a briefing shortly before 1 a.m., but lawmakers from Kansas said it’s likely multiple people were killed when the two aircraft collided Wednesday night.
“When one person dies, it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it’s an unbearable sorrow,” Sen. Roger Marshall, Kansas Republican, said at the briefing.
American Airlines confirmed 64 people were on board the plane coming from Wichita, Kansas. U.S. Army officials said three people were on board the Blackhawk helicopter flying out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Fellow Sen. Jerry Moran from Kansas said he lobbied American Airlines to add the direct flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan National roughly a year ago and often makes the same trip himself.
“It is certainly true that in Kansas, and in Wichita in particular, we’re going to know people who are on this flight — know their family members, know somebody — so this is a very personal circumstance as well as an official response,” Mr. Moran said.
All flights into the airport were stopped for the night as divers from federal and local agencies raced into the frigid Potomac River to search for survivors.
A federal law enforcement officer said a “few bodies” have been pulled from the murky river that has icy chunks floating on its surface and high winds over the water.
“That is a very tough condition for them to dive in,” D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said about the rescue operation with about 300 first responders on site.
Three emergency care providers in the D.C. metropolitan area — Inova Fairfax, MedStar Health and VHC Health — told ABC late Wednesday they have not received any patients from the crash.
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls,” President Trump said in a statement. “Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
Chief Donnelly said the crash occurred around 8:50 p.m. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the collision involved a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional airliner and a Sirosky H-60 helicopter as the jet approached Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport.
According to the Associated Press, air traffic controllers asked the arriving passenger jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 and the pilots said they were able. Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33.
An air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight less than 30 seconds before the crash.
The controller makes another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.” The two aircraft collided seconds later.
The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river.
The tower immediately began diverting other aircraft from Reagan.
“First and most importantly, I’d like to express our deep sorrow about these events,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a video statement about the crash. “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.”
Emergency crews initially said they were responding to a regional carrier going down in the Potomac River near the airport. The Coast Guard and authorities from the District, Virginia and Maryland lined both sides of the river during the ongoing search.
A law enforcement source said mobile morgues were dispatched to the crash scene.
Hamaad Raza told WUSA-TV his wife was aboard the passenger jet and texted him about 20 minutes before it was supposed to land. He said his texts back to her were not delivered.
“I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now as we speak,” Mr. Raza told the station.
Newly sworn-in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was at the press briefing with other regional officials and said he is actively monitoring the situation.
The FAA said all flights into Reagan National are halted until 11 a.m.
• This story is based in part on wire service reports
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.