LIVE COVERAGE: American Airlines jet collides with military helicopter, no survivors
An American Airlines flight and a military helicopter collided and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport Wednesday evening, D.C. Fire and EMS confirmed.
An FAA statement says: "A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local [Eastern] time. PSA was operating Flight 5342 as American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas.
The helicopter involved in Wednesday's crash near Reagan Airport was participating in a training flight, a military official told NBC News.
“We can confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight’s incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir during a training flight," the official said, adding that the military was working with local officials and would provide more details once they're available.
President Donald Trump called the deadly collision a "a tragedy of terrible proportions" and confirmed there were no survivors as he addressed reporters in the White House briefing room this morning.
“The work has now shifted to a recovery mission. Sadly there are no survivors,” he said.
The president began his remarks with a moment of silence for the victims and their families, telling reporters, "I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for our nation."
He added that a "massive search-and-rescue mission was underway throughout the night, leveraging every asset at our disposal, and I have to say, the local, state, federal military, including the United States Coast Guard in particular, they've done a phenomenal job."
"This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital and in our nation's history and a tragedy of terrible proportions as one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly," Trump said.