Midair Collision Near DCA: American Eagle CRJ-701 and US Army Black Hawk Crash into Potomac

American Eagle operated by PSA Airlines flight JIA5342, a Bombardier CRJ-701ER (N709PS), and a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, callsign PAT25, collided midair before crashing into the Potomac River near Washington-Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA).

Officials fear that all 64 occupants aboard the CRJ-701ER, along with the three soldiers on the Black Hawk, have perished.

At the time of the collision, the CRJ-701ER was on its final approach to Runway 33 at DCA during nighttime operations. The Black Hawk helicopter was flying at low altitude over the Potomac River, moving from north to south.

PSA Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group.

This accident was the deadliest US aviation accident since American Airlines Flight 587 on November 12, 2001, the first fatal accident involving the CRJ700 series since its introduction in 2001, and the first major commercial plane crash involving multiple fatalities in the United States since Colgan Air Flight 3407 on February 12, 2009. Also, it was the first crash in the Potomac River since Air Florida Flight 90 collided with a bridge before crashing into the river on January 13, 1982.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.