On January 29, 2025, a tragic accident took place near Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C., when a helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet.
The crash has left people scratching their heads, with many questioning how such a deadly collision could have happened. The disturbing footage of the crash quickly went viral, sparking confusion, disbelief, and a flurry of reactions online.
Videos from the scene show the moment of the crash as a flash of light in the sky. The helicopter, traveling in the opposite direction to the American Airlines plane, slammed into it, causing an enormous explosion.
Both the plane and the helicopter plunged into the Potomac River. A video shared by the Daily Mail on TikTok shows the crash from a camera’s viewpoint, and viewers can clearly see thick smoke rising after the impact.
The plane was Flight 5342, traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to the U.S. capital, with 60 passengers and four crew members onboard.
Many people were quick to share their thoughts after watching the footage. “As a pilot, I’m shocked this happened. There are controllers meant to prevent this, and it’s less common at night because of the anti-collision lights on each aircraft,” one TikToker said.
Others also shared their shock: “This is so strange…” one person commented. Another expressed, “How is this possible? A collision like this at such a low altitude?” One emotional viewer wrote, “Prayers. How is this even possible 😢.”
A different observer raised concerns about the role of the military helicopter in the incident, asking, “Are military helicopters even supposed to be in that airspace? Something is wrong here. What are they trying to distract us from?”
As the investigation into the collision unfolded, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) explained what happened. “A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time.
Image from the plane crash tonight in Washington DC. Tragic. My heart breaks for everyone affected. pic.twitter.com/p14uxAa1Ox
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) January 30, 2025
PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines,” the FAA said. They also announced that both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would investigate the incident and keep the public updated with their findings.
Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, along with fellow Senator Jerry Moran, shared their condolences with the victims’ families. Marshall reflected on the pain of such a loss, especially given that many of the passengers were from Kansas.
“When one person dies, it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it’s an unbearable sorrow,” Marshall said, his voice heavy with grief. “This is heartbreaking beyond words.”
He continued, “We’ve been through things like this before—tornadoes, floods—but it’s hard to imagine such a loss. Over 60 Kansans, gone in an instant. All those lives are valuable, and it’s such a tragedy that we lost them.”
As the search for survivors and victims continued, CBS News reported that human remains had been discovered in the Potomac River, alongside debris from the plane. The crash caused the plane to break apart into several pieces, which were submerged in five to eight feet of water.
In a significant development, a dive team recovered one of the black boxes from the plane, which could provide vital information about what happened before the crash.
Meanwhile, responders faced difficult conditions. The Potomac River was frozen from the cold weather, and emergency crews had to deal with icy waters while searching for survivors. Chief John A.
Donnelly of the D.C. Fire and EMS confirmed that around 300 first responders were actively working on the scene. “At 8:58 p.m., the first units arrived on the scene and found an aircraft in the water.
This incident has grown,” Donnelly said, noting that the rescue efforts were complex due to the cold, dark, and windy conditions.
The tragedy led to a temporary shutdown of Reagan National Airport. Jack Potter, the president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, announced the airport would remain closed until at least 11 a.m. ET the following day. However, operations at Washington Dulles International Airport continued without disruption.
As authorities worked through the night, a witness, Abadi Ismail, who was nearby in the Buzzard Point area, shared his experience of what he saw and heard. Ismail had a clear view of the Potomac River and Reagan Airport, which allowed him to witness the moment of the crash.
“I heard a loud and unusual sound—bang, bang, very loud bang, bang. Something unfamiliar,” he recalled. When he looked out his window, he saw smoke rising from the south side of the airport. “Within minutes, every emergency resource in D.C. was rushing to the scene,” Ismail continued. “That’s when I took the video.”
The witness also described how the icy conditions of the river made the search-and-rescue operation even more difficult. “The Potomac River was frozen because of the 39-degree temperatures,” he said. “The U.S. Coast Guard had to deal with ice to get to the crash site.”
Ismail added that by this time, the situation had shifted from a search for survivors to a recovery effort. “Unfortunately, this is no longer a search-and-rescue mission,” he said, noting that the bodies recovered from the river were already confirmed to be victims.
By 2:50 a.m. on January 30, an official confirmed that at least 19 bodies had been recovered, but no survivors had been found.
U.S. President Donald Trump also weighed in on the crash, expressing his concern on Truth Social. “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” Trump wrote. “The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time.
It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down or turn? Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane? This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
Trump later added, “What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!”
As the investigation continues, authorities are combing through air traffic control communications, flight data, and weather conditions to determine what went wrong. The FAA and NTSB have called on the public to provide any additional footage or information that might help piece together the tragic events of that night.
The search and recovery efforts remain ongoing, and the world waits for answers to understand how such a devastating accident could have occurred.
