Washington DC’s Reagan National Airport (DCA) has suspended all flights following a plane crash late on Wednesday (29 January).
All aircraft take-offs and landings at the airport have been put on hold, with flights not expected to resume “until at least 11am” local time on Thursday, DCA said in a statement.
The closure follows a midair crash between a military helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet as the latter approached the airport, which primarily serves domestic routes. The incident occurred at around 9pm local time on Wednesday when American Eagle Flight 5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas collided with a Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River near DCA.
The flight, operated by PSA Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, while the helicopter had three military personnel on board.
The Washington DC region has three major airports. Flight operations at Washington Dulles International Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport appear unaffected.
AA CEO Robert Isom in a video statement expressed his “deep sorrow” over the incident and will travel to Washington to assist the response effort and investigation.
“This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners and first responders, along with their families and loved ones,” he said.
“We’re cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can. Our cooperation is without pause, and we want to learn everything we can about [Wednesday’s] events. That work will take time, but anything we can do now, we’re doing.”