On January 29, 2025, something shocking happened near Washington, D.C., that left many people in disbelief. Videos of the horrifying event spread across the internet, showing a helicopter colliding with an American Airlines jet near Reagan National Airport.
The collision took place as the plane was approaching the airport, and the helicopter, coming from the opposite direction, crashed into it. The result was a massive explosion.
The videos captured the terrifying moment of impact. A flash of light exploded into the sky, followed by thick clouds of smoke rising into the air. Both the plane and the helicopter fell into the Potomac River below.
The footage, shared by the Daily Mail on TikTok, showed the chaos, and the caption explained that there were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard Flight 5342, which was traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C., when the crash occurred.
As the video spread, people took to social media, reacting with confusion and shock. One pilot commented, “As a pilot, I’m shocked this happened. You have controllers that are meant to avoid this, and there are fewer collisions at night because of the anti-collision lights on each aircraft. :/”
Others shared their disbelief. “This is so strange…” one person wrote. “No no, this makes no sense on so many levels… A collision on this level at such a low altitude? Did air traffic control miss something?” Another person responded with, “Prayers. How is this even possible 😢.”
The questions kept coming. Someone wondered, “Blackhawk military helicopters can’t see other aircraft at night? That plane has all its landing lights on.
This is unbelievable!” Another questioned, “Are military helicopters even supposed to be in that airspace? Something doesn’t add up.” Some were even suspicious, saying, “That’s weird because it looks like the helicopter rammed the jet!”
Image from the plane crash tonight in Washington DC. Tragic. My heart breaks for everyone affected. pic.twitter.com/p14uxAa1Ox
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) January 30, 2025
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while the plane was approaching Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport.
The jet was operating as American Airlines Flight 5342. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) promised to investigate the incident and keep the public updated.
Kansas Senator Roger Marshall shared his heartfelt condolences. “You know, when one person dies it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it’s an unbearable sorrow, it’s a heartbreak beyond measure,” he said, reflecting on the loss.
Standing next to Senator Jerry Moran, Marshall spoke about how the loss affected the people of Kansas, noting, “We’ve been through things like this before, like tornadoes and floods, but it’s hard when you lose over 60 Kansans at once. All those lives are so valuable, and it’s such a tragedy that we lost them.”
As the search and recovery efforts continued, CBS News reported a disturbing development—human remains were discovered washing up along the Virginia side of the Potomac River.
The crash caused the plane to break into several pieces, now submerged in five to eight feet of water. In a breakthrough, a dive team recovered one of the aircraft’s two black boxes, though it was unclear whether it was the cockpit voice recorder or the flight data recorder.
Divers were also working to retrieve other debris from the plane and helicopter. The helicopter, found upside down in the water, appeared to be mostly intact.
The search-and-rescue mission was massive, with around 300 responders working tirelessly to locate survivors and recover remains from the river. “At 8:58 p.m., the first units arrived on the scene and began rescue operations,” D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly Sr. explained during a press conference. “This incident has grown.”
Conditions were grim—dark, cold, and windy—as responders battled to reach the crash site in the murky, icy waters. Meanwhile, Reagan National Airport was temporarily closed, though operations at Washington Dulles International Airport continued as usual.
A witness, Abadi Ismail, who was nearby at Buzzard Point near James Creek Marina, shared his experience.
“I have a cinematic view of the Potomac River, the Anacostia River, Reagan Airport, and the military base, so I could see everything happening from the moment of the crash,” Ismail recalled. “I was watching TV when I heard a loud, unusual sound. It was a bang, bang—a sound I don’t normally hear.”
Ismail looked out his window to see smoke rising from the airport. At first, he couldn’t believe what had happened. But within minutes, emergency responders, including the D.C. Park Police, Coast Guard, D.C. Police, Arlington Police, and fire trucks, arrived at the scene.
“Every resource within D.C. was heading toward the crash scene,” he said. “That’s when I took the video.”
He also mentioned the difficulties that responders faced due to the freezing temperatures and ice on the Potomac River. “That’s another challenge for the U.S. Coast Guard, navigating through all this ice to get to the crash site,” he added.
Based on what he had seen and heard from his contacts, Ismail noted that the situation had shifted from a search-and-rescue mission to a recovery mission. “This is not a search-and-rescue mission at this point. Unfortunately, it’s a recovery mission,” he said.
By 2:50 a.m. on January 30, an official confirmed that at least 19 bodies had been recovered from the river, with three separate debris fields. No survivors had been found.
President Donald Trump expressed his concern about the crash on Truth Social. “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” he wrote.
“The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It’s a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing—why didn’t the helicopter go up or down or turn?”
Trump continued, “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!!!” He later added, “What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!”
As the investigation unfolds, authorities are examining air traffic control communications, flight data, and weather conditions to understand what led to the crash.
The FAA and NTSB have also urged anyone with additional footage or information to come forward. More updates will be shared as new details emerge about this devastating incident.
