American Airlines flight collides with Army helicopter near Reagan National, more than a dozen bodies recovered

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Editor’s note: Follow the latest updates to this developing story on this live blog.


An American Airlines flight and a military helicopter collided and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport Wednesday evening, D.C. Fire and EMS confirmed. First responders

Video from the web camera network EarthCam shows the moment of the collision. It shows a big flash upon impact. President Donald Trump has been briefed on the video, the White House said.

The airliner had about 60 people aboard. Three people were aboard the helicopter. More than a dozen bodies have been recovered, sources said. At least four people have been recovered and were rushed to hospitals. A frantic search and rescue effort to find crash victims in the river is underway.

The medical examiner’s office is preparing for the largest recovery of bodies they have handled in decades, a source told News4.

The water temperature was about 35° at the time of the crash, Storm Team4’s Doug Kammerer said. At that temperature, someone has 15 to 20 minutes before suffering from hypothermia, he said.

An FAA statement says: “A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local [Eastern] time. PSA was operating Flight 5342 as American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas.”

A massive emergency response unfolded. Fireboats are in the water, and the Metropolitan Police Department also responded.

Fire departments from all around the region staged at Gravelly Point north of Reagan National. News4 video shows a sea of fire trucks, ambulances and police cars on the banks of the Potomac.

A senior FBI official says Washington Field Office personnel are standing by to assist but there’s nothing to indicate anything criminal or terrorist related was involved in the crash.

All takeoffs and landings were stopped at Reagan National, which will remain closed until at least 11 a.m. Friday. Nineteen flights were diverted to Dulles International Airport.

The FAA said it and the NTSB will investigate, with the NTSB leading the investigation.

Stay with News4 and NBCWashington.com for updates to this breaking story.

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