A military chopper rammed into an American Airlines passenger aircraft in midair close to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday night.
The plane crash happened at about 9.pm local time (02:00 GMT) when the US Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger jet and both crashed into the Potomac River.
The helicopter was carrying three soldiers while the American Eagles flight with registration number #AA5342 had 60 passengers onboard with 4 crew members, and was coming from Wichita, Kansas (ICT), to Washington, D.C. (DCA).
The helicopter was on a training flight and belonged to a Fort Belvoir-based battalion in Virginia while the passenger plane was about to land.
A video showed the moment the Black Hawk Helicopter hit the AA plane from the side despite the bright illumination from the lights of the plane to show its visibility. Both aircraft exploded on impact midair and fell into the river. Watch below:
The crash also raised questions about the air traffic control tower which is also charged with monitoring aircraft locations and giving approvals. In an audio transcript from the control tower, a staff is heard asking the helicopter if could see the aircraft in sight.
Another footage showed emergency response from both federal and local agencies at the side of the river with search and rescue helicopters scanning the water for survivors and bodies.
So far, 60 people have been reported dead from the collision, while no person has been rescued alive.
American Airlines in a statement acknowledged the air incident and said further information would be released as it became available, while the flight operations at the airport were suspended and diverted to Dulles International Airport, located about 28 miles away.
Investigations into the cause and circumstances surrounding the aircraft collision have been started by the Federal aviation authorities and the US Congress.
Among the suspected deceased are some members of the US Figure Skating who were returning from the national development camp in Kansas.
