‘No Survivors’: American Eagle Flight, Army Black Hawk Collide Over Potomac River

The airliner, identified as American Eagle Flight 5342, a PSA Bombardier CRJ-700, was on approach to land on Runway 33 at KDCA shortly before 9 p.m. EST when the accident happened.

In LiveATC audio, air traffic control could be heard addressing the helicopter in a one-sided conversation:

ATC: PAT25 do you have the CRJ in sight? PAT25 pass behind that CRJ.

One of the factors investigators are likely to be looking at is if the crew of the CRJ was aware of the helicopter, as military aircraft often utilize ultra high frequency (UHF) radios while civilian aircraft utilize very high frequency (VHF). 

The collision was caught on the EarthCam camera located near the Kennedy Center. In the video, an aircraft is seen taking off and climbing away from the airport, while the accident CRJ approached the airport. The lights of the helicopter are seen approaching the CRJ from the right side of the jet before the lights merge and there is a fireball.

LiveATC recorded the sounds of people reacting to the collision, and another voice is on frequency asking, "Tower, did you see that?" The next transmission is ATC quickly canceling the landing clearances for the other aircraft on approach. 

According to FlightAware, the jet's flight path ended abruptly over the Potomac River. The last altitude readout indicates the CRJ was at an altitude of approximately 350 feet at a speed of 116 knots followed by a sudden and erratic loss of altitude.

On board the jet were 60 passengers and four crew en route from Wichita, Kansas, to KDCA. The helicopter, which was based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, had three service members on board and was on a training mission.

Some 19 aircraft enroute to KDCA were diverted to Washington Dulles International (KIAD) and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (KBWI), according to reports.

During a media briefing held after midnight, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly  said the first alert went out at 8:48 p.m. and by 8:58 first responders arrived on scene and “found aircraft in the water." Approximately 300 responders were on the river, including rescue divers, fighting cold, ice, currents, and wind trying to find survivors.

By Thursday morning, the search had shifted to recovery.

"At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident," Donnelly told reporters during a media briefing, according to a Washington Post report.

At the time of the accident, skies were clear with temperatures in the 40s. The temperature of the water was reported to be about 35 degrees. The winds were reported as from the west at 6-9 knots with gusts to 18. Rescue officials reiterated that the frigid temperature of the water would likely limit survivability to no more than an hour.

Rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a landing near the George Washington Memorial Parkway, The Associated Press reported. First responders set up light towers along the shore to illuminate the river near the collision site while boats used search lights on the water. 

In a video message, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed condolences to the families and friends of the people aboard both aircraft and announced the airline was sending a go-team to the scene to assist.

The FAA said the airport will remain closed until 11 a.m. on Thursday.

The last mass casualty U.S. commercial airliner accident was February 12, 2009, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed while on approach at Buffalo Niagara International Airport (KBUF) in New York , killing all 49 people on the jet and one person on the ground.

This is a developing story.