A US Passenger Jet collides with Army Helicopter, 18 people dead.

US Passenger Jet and Army Helicopter Collision Kills 18

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Pinky Deshmukh

Last Updated: January 30, 2025

Summary: The US Army's Black Hawk helicopter was attempting to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington when it crashed with a passenger plane.

On Thursday morning, a U.S. passenger plane carrying 64 people crashed into the Potomac River close to Washington after colliding in midair with a U.S. Army helicopter. The disaster claimed the lives 18 individuals, and a search is underway to find any survivors.

The passenger plane was approaching the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, DC, when it collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional flight. The status of the three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter is still unknown.Keyword in comma separated format.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but all airport takeoffs and landings were suspended while dive teams searched the area and law enforcement helicopters from all around the region systematically searched for bodies.

According to a US Army officer, one of the US Army's helicopters was on a training flight when it crashed. An observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Centre captured footage of the planes seemingly colliding and transforming into a fireball.

US President Donald Trump questioned why the air traffic controller gave those instructions and why the chopper did not change course as the flight got closer. "It should have been prevented," he remarked.

On his Truth Social Account on X, he posted, "The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.”

"This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!.” he said.