A person looks on from the bank of the Potomac River as emergency service vehicles operate near the site of the crash after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed in the Potomac River, outside Washington, U.S., January 29, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Hear air traffic control communication in moment surrounding DC collision

A passenger aircraft carrying 64 people collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, DC, as it approached the runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and defense officials.

01:41 - Source: CNN
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A person looks on from the bank of the Potomac River as emergency service vehicles operate near the site of the crash after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed in the Potomac River, outside Washington, U.S., January 29, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Hear air traffic control communication in moment surrounding DC collision
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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 outside Washington, DC, on January 30, 2025. 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 January 29, prompting a major emergency response and grounding all flights. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Emergency equipment stages at Gravelly Point, north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, along the Potomac River, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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A view of emergency response looking from Arlington, Va., south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, across the Potomac River toward the District of Columbia, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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