A devastating mid-air collision has occurred at Reagan Washington National Airport, involving an American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter. The crash resulted in the plane plunging into the Potomac River, sparking a massive search and rescue operation. Officials are yet to confirm any survivors, with one aviation expert expressing extreme doubt due to the impact's severity. Witness accounts describe a horrifying 'white flash' and a distressed aircraft flying at a dangerous angle.
A search and rescue mission is underway after a shocking mid-air crash between an American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter earlier today. The crash took place as the plane came in to land at Reagan Washington National Airport. Officials have yet to disclose whether anyone survived the crash between the commercial flight and military chopper. The small American Airlines aircraft is believed to have been carrying 60 passengers and four crew members.
It plunged into the Potomac River in the nation's capital just after 9pm local time. The Mirror reports that, shortly after, fireboats were seen rushing to the scene, accompanied by vehicles carrying first responders and investigators from various agencies. Officials from the Metropolitan Police Department were also in attendance. Amidst the rescue operation, the Federal Aviation Administration suspended all takeoffs and landings at the domestic airport, with the grounding order remaining in place until at least 10.30pm. It is understood 27 bodies have been recovered from the icy river. The large search and rescue operation in the water continues. An aviation expert has said it's unlikely that anyone will have survived the plane crash. Former UK Airline Accident Investigation Branch senior inspector TIm Atkinson told Sky News that the initial force of the impact was likely too strong for anyone to have survived. 'The moment of collision, in which clearly a lot of energy is expended from the visuals there... and, unfortunately, the first element required for survivable is that the actual ultimate forces experienced by those on board an aircraft or in a vehicle have to be within human tolerance,' he said. 'And my suspicion is very strongly that, in the impact with the water, the forces there were simply beyond human tolerance.' His judgment is that he would be 'very surprised' if anyone survived. Shocking footage has emerged showing the moment of impact, and witnesses of the Washington DC plane crash have told of the horrifying moment they saw the sky light up with a 'white flash'. Locals told how they initially noticed something was wrong when flights feeding into and out of the major airport had their paths diverted. They then saw a white flash light up the atmosphere, but didn't understand the devastating nature of the incident. A pilot in the vicinity had a firsthand view of the catastrophic explosion. In audio from the air traffic control tower around the time of the crash, a controller can be heard asking the helicopter, 'PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight,' referring to the passenger aircraft. “Tower did you see that?” another pilot is heard calling seconds after the apparent collision. The tower immediately began diverting other aircraft from Reagan. Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball. Motorist Ari Schulman had been driving along the George Washington Parkway in Washington DC when he spotted the mid-air crash on Wednesday night. Mr Schulman told NBC Washington he saw the passenger jet in distress and flying at an extreme angle, before disappearing into darkness. 'Initially, it looked normal, but suddenly, it banked all the way to the right - past 90 degrees. I could see the underside, glowing bright yellow, with a stream of sparks beneath it,' he said. The American Airlines aircraft then split in two and is lying in around seven feet of water in the river, local media says. The weather has been bitterly cold across Washington DC in the past week, so much so the river froze in recent days. The mercury has shot up since but anyone in the water will be at severe risk to pneumonia and other infections. As the desperate search continues, the husband of a passenger on board American Airline Flight 5342 has shared his wife's final text. Raza said he received a message from her stating 'landing in 20 minutes.' In a heartrending interview Hamaad Raza, revealed he attempted to reply, but when his message didn't send, he sensed troubl
Aircrash Washington DC Potomac River American Airlines Black Hawk Helicopter Reagan National Airport Search And Rescue Survivability
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