Midair collision at DC's Reagan Airport suspends all flights

Mary Schlangenstein and Allyson Versprille, Bloomberg News on Jan 29, 2025

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WASHINGTON — Two aircraft have collided midair near Washington Ronald Reagan Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

“A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at around 9 p.m. local time,” the FAA said in a statement. “PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas.”

PSA Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group Inc. under its regional American Eagle unit. The aircraft involved was a Mitsubishi CRJ-700 jet, which typically seats 65 people and is generally used for shorter hops.

Ronald Reagan Airport has suspended all aircraft takeoffs and landings in response to the incident, the airport operator said in a post on X.

Emergency teams are responding to a small aircraft that is in the Potomac River in the vicinity of the airport, DC Fire and EMS Department also said on X.

Washington, D.C., police said they don’t have confirmation on casualties at this time.

American Airlines said it was aware of reports “that Flight 5342 has been involved in an accident,” adding that it would provide more information as it becomes available.

The most tracked flight on Flightradar24 is currently a U.S. Park Police helicopter, whose flight path shows it circling above the Potomac River. The D.C. police department said one of its helicopters wasn’t involved in the incident.

Ronald Reagan Airport is in the heart of the nation’s capital, and is located near major federal institutions including the White House and Congress. It is also across the river from The Pentagon, the U.S. Department of Defense, in Arlington, Virginia.

American Eagle is a network of six regional carriers operating for the larger airline, three of which are owned by American. PSA is the smallest of the three wholly owned carriers.

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(With assistance from Siddharth Philip and Danny Lee.)