On Wednesday evening, January 29, a regional jet carrying 64 people and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in midair near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. As it turned out, in particular, there were Russian figure skaters on the plane.
Axios, Voice of America, CBS News reported this.
A plane collided with a military helicopter in the US
A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CBS News that at least 19 bodies of people who died as a result of the plane crash that collided with the helicopter were found.
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The US Department of Defense reported that a regional jet from PSA Airlines collided in mid-air with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while approaching landing.
The plane was operating as American Airlines Flight 5342, which departed from Wichita, Kansas. According to the American Airlines website, the plane can accommodate up to 65 passengers.
Late Wednesday, a U.S. Army spokesman said in an email that the incident involved a UH-60 helicopter based out of Fort Belvoir, Va. There were three service members on board the helicopter, the spokesman told Axios.
President Donald Trump thanked first responders in an email late Wednesday for keeping him fully informed about the horrific accident.
— May God bless their souls. May God bless their souls, — Trump added.
Officials said the crash disrupted ground transportation and forced DCA Airport in Arlington, Virginia, to temporarily close after the incident, which the FAA said occurred around 9 p.m.
The Metropolitan Police Department said its officers, fire department and multiple partners were involved in search and rescue operations following the crash.
Reagan Airport said all takeoffs and landings were grounded at DCA on the day. The terminal remained open, according to the airport.
The airport, which officials say has the busiest runway in America, is expected to remain closed until at least 5 a.m. Friday, according to a Federal Aviation Administration post on Bluesky.
– Please pray for all involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan Airport tonight. We are monitoring the situation, but for now we will hope for the best, – US Vice President J.D. Vance wrote on the X network.
Washington police said multiple agencies and the U.S. military were conducting a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River following a plane crash.
Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, wrote on X that there was no immediate word on the number of people killed, but that there were casualties.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering more information about the incident.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said her department was deploying all available U.S. Coast Guard resources to assist with search and rescue efforts in connection with the horrific incident in DCA.
She is actively monitoring the situation and stands ready to support local agencies response.
—Maryland State Police have sent divers to the scene, where temperatures are expected to drop below freezing overnight, to assist in rescue missions, — said Governor Wes Moore.
Trump said he was monitoring the situation and would provide more details as they became available.
US plane crash: Russian figure skaters on board
It later became known that Russian figure skaters were on board the plane that crashed near Washington.
According to Russian media, among others, 1994 world figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the plane.
They also write that their son, who now competes for the US national team, was also on that flight. Most of the athletes — children of Russian emigrants.
The US Figure Skating Federation reported that the athletes were returning home from Wichita, where the American Figure Skating Championships were taking place.
