“Although we still do not know how many people on the plane are missing, we know that someone died,” American Senator Ted Cruz wrote on social network X, according to Reuters. Mr. Cruz does not provide detailed information or stated his source.
Later, according to the WBal channel of NBC News, at least two bodies were found after the aforementioned collision.
Light from ambulance and boat near Ronald Reagan National Airport after the plane crash on the evening of January 29
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) informed on the evening of January 29 (US time) that a regional aircraft of PSA Airlines collided between air and a military helicopter Sikorsky H-60 while approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport. This is the most commercial airport closest to Washington DC.
FAA said preliminary information showed that a Bombardier CRJ700 area of PSA Airlines collided between the air with the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while approaching the airport at about 21 hours on January 29 (local time. ).
Also according to FAA, PSA Airlines is operating flight 5342 for American Airlines, departing from Wichita city of Kansas (USA).
The jet with a capacity of up to 70 passengers and Senator Kansas Roger Marshall said in a statement that there were about 60 passengers on the plane at the time of the incident, according to ABC News.
The US Army informed that there were 3 soldiers on a military helicopter colliding with passenger aircraft, according to AFP.
Police said many agencies were involved in search and rescue activities in the Potomac River, where the airport was bordered but there was no information on casualties.
The airport officials announced that at the end of January 29 that all takeoffs and landing were stopped, and the rescue staff reacted to an aircraft incident.
The US National Traffic Safety Committee said it is gathering more information about this incident, according to Reuters.
US President Donald Trump “knew about this situation and was tragic when a military helicopter collided with a regional passenger plane”, according to Fox News, quoted the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.