A passenger jet collided with a military helicopter near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night. The collision happened about three miles from the White House and the U.S. Capitol. Officials call it the deadliest U.S. air crash in years.
The crash occurred around 9:00 p.m. American Airlines Flight 5342 was arriving from Wichita, Kansas. It approached Ronald Reagan National Airport for a landing. The area around the nation’s capital is some of the world’s most tightly controlled airspace. But tragedy still struck.
Air traffic controllers asked the passenger flight to land on a smaller runway. The pilots agreed. But a military helicopter—a UH-60 Blackhawk from Fort Belvoir in Virginia—was training nearby. Thirty seconds before the crash, controllers radioed the helicopter. They asked the helicopter pilots if they saw the nearby passenger jet. No response came. A moment later, the two aircraft collided. American Airlines Flight 5342 fell into the Potomac River.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene. They discovered the plane upside down in three separate pieces. They also found wreckage from the helicopter. About 300 emergency workers began a search for survivors. Cold weather and wind make the work difficult. Rescuers believe no passengers or crew members survived the crash.
There isn’t yet official word on the cause of the collision. Officials say flight conditions were clear. Investigators work to figure out exactly what happened in the final moments before the crash. In the meantime, Reagan Airport stopped all takeoffs and landings until late Thursday morning.
Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were aboard the plane, along with other skaters and coaches. Shishkova and Naumov were married. In 1994, they won the world championship in pairs figure skating. The couple was in Kansas for the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Russian officials say other Russian citizens were also on the flight. Details about other passengers have not yet been released.
This is the first deadly commercial airline crash in the United States since 2009. That crash happened near Buffalo, New York, and claimed 50 victims.
Pray for the responders working to recover victims from the crash. Ask God to comfort the friends and families of those lost in the tragedy.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. — Psalm 34:18
