Passenger plane and military helicopter crash in Washington DC, 67 feared dead
By Hans Ngala
A passenger plane and a military helicopter have collided mid-air in the US city of Washington DC, leaving rescuers afraid that all persons on board both aircraft might be dead.
The American Airlines jet was carrying 64 people while the US military helicopter (identified as a Sikorsky Black Hawk) was carrying 3 soldiers on a training exercise.
At press time, it remained unclear how the helicopter crashed into the passenger jet.
Videos on MSNBC showed the helicopter (with a tiny light) flying towards the plane (with a much bigger and brighter light), and both aircraft burst into a huge explosion upon collision.
They fell into the Potomac River which at this time of year, is near freezing point, leaving emergency services fearful that no survivors might be found. At press time, only 18 bodies have been retrieved so far.
US President Donald Trump called the crash “a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented” in a post on Truth Social.
The accident is the first major air accident in the first month of 2025. It follows a slew of similar air accidents that have been happening since the end of 2024 including the South Korean airlines Jeju air which killed nearly 180 people in December 2024.
