Passenger plane collides with helicopter near Washington airport

Passenger plane collides with helicopter near Washington airport

Federal aviation authority says a PSA Airlines Bombardier regional jet 'collided midair' with a Sikorsky H-60 as it approached for landing at Reagan National Airport.

Search and rescue operations are under way with multiple crews responding to the mid-air collision of a Kansas regional jet and military helicopter (AFP pic)
WASHINGTON:
A regional jet from Kansas crashed into Washington’s Potomac River after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport, officials said on Wednesday, prompting a major emergency response and grounding all flights.

President Donald Trump “has been made aware of this situation and tragically, it appears that a military helicopter collided with a regional jet,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News.

There was no immediate information about how many people were aboard either aircraft or about casualties.

The federal aviation authority ordered the grounding of all planes at Reagan airport, and Washington’s police said on X that “multiple agencies” were responding to the crash site in the Potomac River.

Police said fireboats had joined the operation too.

The FAA said a PSA Airlines Bombardier regional jet “collided in midair” with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter as it approached for landing at Reagan at around 9pm (0200 GMT). The plane had left from Wichita, Kansas.

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