American Airlines flight collides with helicopter near Washington’s Reagan Airport, casualties feared

An American Airlines regional jet collided midair with a helicopter while landing at the Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, the Associated Press reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the collision occurred around 9 pm ET when the regional jet, that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, smashed into the military Blackhawk helicopter while it was approaching the airport runway.

Sixty passengers and four crew members were on the American Airlines flight 5342, reported CBS News.

Ronald Reagan Airport has suspended all aircraft take-offs and landings in response to the incident at the airfield, the airport operator said in a post on X.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that US President Donald Trump “has been made aware of this situation”. She added that “it appears that a military helicopter collided with a regional jet.”

Newly confirmed defence secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Pentagon is “actively monitoring” the situation as well.

US Senator Ted Cruz said there were fatalities in the crash, but it remains unclear how many people were onboard. “While we don’t yet know how many on board were lost, we know there are fatalities,” Cruz wrote on X.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering more information on the incident. American Airlines also stated on social media that they were aware of the incident and would provide information as soon as it was available.