Plane collides with helicopter midair in Washington, DC

BREAKINGBREAKING,

Ronald Reagan national airport halts all takeoffs and landings following midair collision.

A regional jet and a military helicopter have collided midair in Washington, DC, the United States, forcing a halt to all takeoffs and landings at Ronald Reagan Washington national airport, authorities have said.

A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 jet collided with a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter while en route from Wichita, Kansas, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said late on Wednesday.

“The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation,” the aviation agency said in a statement, referring to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Police and fire services said a multi-agency search and rescue operation was under way in the Potomac River.

“Fireboats on scene,” the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department said in a post on X.

Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi, reporting from Washington, DC, said there was an “enormous response” at the scene of the crash, including emergency vehicles and boats.

“We should be very clear, this is the main local airport serving the Washington, DC, metropolitan area,” Rattansi said.

“We believe that both of those aircraft are in the river,” Rattansi said. “So that is of enormous concern now.”

Video posted on social media appeared to show the two aircraft collide and exploding into flames.

There were no immediate reports on the number of casualties.

The Bombardier CRJ700 has a maximum capacity of 78 passengers, according to aircraft brokerage JetSet Group.

The Sikorsky H-60 helicopter can carry up to 11 fully equipped troops, according to the site Military.com.