An eyewitness has recalled the devastating moments leading up to an American Airlines aircraft colliding with an army helicopter.
The incident, which unfolded last night (January 29), involved 67 people — 60 passengers, four cabin crew, and three soldiers.
Both aircrafts were heading for Washington DC‘s Ronald Reagan National Airport when they struck one another mid-air.
The commercial flight was travelling from Wichita, Kansas, while those on the Black Hawk helicopter were doing a training exercise.
As officials continue to try and piece together what happened to cause the crash, eyewitnesses have been coming forward to share their first-hand accounts of what they saw.
One person to have spoken out is Ari Schulman, who had been driving along the George Washington Parkway – a route he often takes – when the tragedy unfolded.
The aircrafts crashed into the Potomac River (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Speaking to NBC Washington, Schulman said: “I always look [at the planes landing] when I’m driving home. It’s always a really interesting, elegant sight. They’re all nice and spaced out in a beautiful line when they’re coming into land.”
Going on to recall what’s presumed to have been the American Airlines flight, Schulman described its route as looking ‘totally normal’ to him and, keen to see it land, so he turned back onto the road again.
“I wanted to get another look to try and see the plane land, so I turned back again a few seconds later and it looked very, very wrong,” he recalled.
“[The plane] was turned hard to the right – maybe 90 degrees or more to the right. I could see the underside of the plane, and it was very, very dark out so you shouldn’t be able to see the underside of a plane.
“But I could see it. It was illuminated bright yellow and there was a stream of sparks underneath it. It looked to me like a giant Roman candle.”
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The search for the remaining bodies continues (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
At the time of writing, 19 bodies are reported to have been pulled from the Potomac River following last night’s collision.
This figure is yet to be confirmed by officials, however.
It’ll be a difficult task for divers to locate the remaining bodies, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said.
“The challenges are access,” he said. “The water that we’re operating in is about 8ft deep.”
Donnelly continued: “There is wind, there is pieces of ice out there. So it’s just dangerous and hard to work in. And because there’s not a lot of lights, you’re out there searching every square inch of space to see if you can find anybody.”
Everything we know so far about the American Airlines plane crash
What has American Airlines said about the crash?
The CEO of American Airlines, Robert Isom, issued a response to the incident as he explained he was travelling to DC with a specialist team to aid the investigation.
In a statement, the businessman said: “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.
“I know that there are many questions. At this early stage, I’ll not be able to answer all of them, but I do want to share the information I have at this time.”
What has Donald Trump said about the American Airlines crash?
President Trump described the incident as a ‘bad situation’ that ‘should have been prevented’.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“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!!! What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!”
Dispatcher audio of aftermath of American Airlines crash released
Air traffic control audio has been released from the incident detailing the harrowing moment dispatchers witness the crash.
“The accident happened in the river. Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river,” a man on the audio says. “It was probably out in the middle of the river. Um, I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river.
“But it was a CR-J [the type of plane] and a helicopter that hit, I would say a half-mile of the approach.”
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Topics: American Airlines, Washington, Travel, News, US News
Niamh Shackleton
Man who witnessed American Airlines plane crash describes seeing ‘white flare’ as it collided with helicopter
19 bodies have been recovered
A man who witnessed the horror American Airlines crash has described seeing a ‘white flare’ as the passenger plane collided with the helicopter.
Shockwaves were sent across the world overnight as a PSA Airlines aircraft, which is owned by American Airlines, crashed into a BlackHawk helicopter in Washington D.C.
The commercial aircraft was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, while the US Army helicopter had three military personnel on board, according to reports.
The incident occurred while Flight 5342 was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, with both aircrafts crashing into the Potomac River.
19 bodies have been recovered from the river at the time of writing.
“American Eagle Flight 5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas (ICT), to Washington, D.C. (DCA) was involved in an accident at DCA. The flight was operated by PSA Airlines with a CRJ-700,” American Airlines said in a statement provided to UNILAD.
“There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.
19 bodies have been recovered from the crash site (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
“Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts.
“If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215. Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can call 800-679-8215 directly.”
Jimmy Mazeo was sat eating dinner with his girlfriend at a nearby park when he saw ‘white flares’ in the sky. But he did not notice the seriousness of what had just happened until the emergency services arrived at the scene.
“We didn’t really think much of it until we saw the fire trucks started going out to the tarmac and the police cars and boats. It was insane,” he told WUSA9.
Jimmy witnessed the crash (WUSA9)
Initially, Mazeo thought what he saw ‘were shooting stars’ – but he quickly came to the realization as to what had happened.
“I’m really in awe. Of course it’s terrible what happened tonight, but I think that it’s crazy we got to see what happened. I’m praying for all the people involved in this.”
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the ‘terrible accident’.
“May God Bless their souls,” he said in a statement. “Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders.”
Speaking further on his TruthSocial account, Trump added: “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
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Topics: American Airlines, US News, Washington
Callum Jones
Everything we know so far after American Airlines flight carrying 60 passengers collides with army helicopter
The plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members at the time of the tragic ordeal
67 people are feared to have died after a mid-air collision between a passenger plane and military helicopter occured last night.
The tragic ordeal happened in Washington D.C at around 9pm local time, and saw an American Airlines aircraft and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter crash into each other.
There were 64 passengers and crew members on the commercial craft, and three soldiers on the helicopter. It’s been reported that so far, 19 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River.
The collision marks the US’s first first major commercial airline crash since 2009, says ABC News.
What have officials said about the Washington plane crash?
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the matter and have said that preliminary information suggests that the two aircrafts collided while both approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly confirmed that around 300 emergency personnel were on hand at the scene last night.
Donnelly has also revealed that divers are facing some difficulties in recovering the bodies from the river.
“The water that we’re operating in is about 8ft deep,” he said. “There is wind, there is pieces of ice out there. So it’s just dangerous and hard to work in.”
President Trump has also spoken out on the fatal incident and described it as ‘not good’.
He penned on TruthSocial: “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly has spoken out on the difficulties divers now face (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
What did eyewitnesses see?
People have described seeing ‘white flares’ in the sky when the two aircrafts crashed into each other.
Jimmy Mazeo was eating dinner with his girlfriend in a park near to the airport when tragedy struck.
Speaking about seeing the ‘flares’ in the sky, Mazeo said: “We noticed the planes started having irregular patterns […] and then we looked up in the sky and saw these white flares.”
He continued to tell WUSA9: “We didn’t really think much of it until we saw the fire trucks started going out to the tarmac, and the police cars, and police boats. It was insane.”
Another witness, Ari Schulman, told NBC News: “It looked to me like a giant Roman candle, sparks shooting from the head of the plane down to the tail. I saw that for about two seconds.”
Around 300 emergency personnel were at the scene last night (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Who was on board the aircrafts?
While three soldiers were on the helicopter, Army officials have since confirmed that no senior military leaders were onboard.
Meanwhile, the commercial aircraft was carrying ‘several members of our skating community‘, US Figure Skating said.
Two of these people have been confirmed to be former world champion Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, official spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, revealed.
Peskov added, as per The Guardian: “There were other fellow citizens of ours there too. Bad news from Washington today.”
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Topics: Military, US News, News, Travel, Washington, American Airlines
Niamh Shackleton
Donald Trump issues statement after American Airlines plane and army helicopter collide in mid-air
A search is ongoing following the crash as authorities look for survivors
President Donald Trump has issued a statement following the horrific American Airlines crash that happened in Washington D.C overnight.
At around 9pm in Washington D.C on Wednesday (29 January), a PSA Airlines aircraft owned by American Airlines crashed into a BlackHawk US Army military helicopter.
The commercial aircraft was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, while three personnel were on board the helicopter.
A PSA Airlines aircraft crashed with a US Army helicopter in Washington D.C last night, causing dozens of fatalities (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Flight 5342 was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport as the incident happened, with both crashing into the Potomac River.
19 bodies have been recovered at the time of writing, and the search efforts have continued throughout the night.
President Trump is, as you’d expect, being kept in the loop regarding the current situation and has written on his TruthSocial account overnight.
The 47th president claims the crash ‘should have been prevented’.
In an initial post, Trump said: “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. 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.
Donald Trump has issued a statement regarding the crash (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
And in a follow-up post, the president wrote: “What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!”
America is reeling from the recent events, with Jimmy Mazeo witnessing the horror crash first hand.
“We didn’t really think much of it until we saw the fire trucks started going out to the tarmac and the police cars and boats. It was insane,” he told WUSA9.
“I’m really in awe. Of course it’s terrible what happened tonight, but I think that it’s crazy we got to see what happened. I’m praying for all the people involved in this.”
Rescue efforts are continuing (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
In a statement provided to UNILAD, American Airlines said: “American Eagle Flight 5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas (ICT), to Washington, D.C. (DCA) was involved in an accident at DCA.
“The flight was operated by PSA Airlines with a CRJ-700. There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.
“Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts.
“If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215. Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can call 800-679-8215 directly.”
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Topics: American Airlines, Donald Trump, US News
Callum Jones
Air traffic control audio describes moments after American Airlines flight collides in mid-air with helicopter
More than 60 people are feared dead after American Airlines flight 5342 collided with a helicopter
Harrowing air traffic control audio has shed more light on the horror American Airlines crash over Washington DC.
The PSA Airlines aircraft, which is owned by American Airlines, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members when it crashed into a BlackHawk helicopter with three military personnel on board last night just before 9.00pm (January 29).
The accident occurred while Flight 5342 was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, which has halted all take-offs and landings as law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors.
Both vehicles crashed into the Potomac River, with 18 bodies having been recovered so far.
American Airlines has since issued the following statement: “American Eagle Flight 5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas (ICT), to Washington, D.C. (DCA) was involved in an accident at DCA. The flight was operated by PSA Airlines with a CRJ-700.
“There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.
“Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts.
Part of the wreckage is seen as rescue boats search the waters of the Potomac River after a plane on approach to Reagan National Airport crashed into the river (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
“If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215. Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can call 800-679-8215 directly.”
In audio obtained by CBS News, a dispatcher can be heard describing the moments after both aircrafts were downed.
“The accident happened in the river,” they say. “Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river.”
Meanwhile, eye-witness Jimmy Mazeo told WUSA9 that he was eating his dinner at a nearby park when he saw ‘white flares’ in the sky, not realizing the seriousness of what had just happened.
Rescue boats search the waters of the Potomac River for survivors, and to recover bodies (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
“We didn’t really think much of it until we saw the fire trucks started going out to the tarmac and the police cars and boats. It was insane,” he explained.
“I’m really in awe. Of course it’s terrible what happened tonight, but I think that it’s crazy we got to see what happened. I’m praying for all the people involved in this.”
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the ‘terrible accident’. He said in a statement: “May God Bless their souls.
“Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders.”
While adding on his TruthSocial account: “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
