At least 19 people have been confirmed dead after a Black Hawk Helicopter and an American Airlines jet collided and crashed into the POTOMAC river.
The American Airlines Flight 5342 which was flying in from Wichita, Kansas, had over 60 people aboard with at least 60 passengers and 4 crew members. The helicopter it crashed with was a military helicopter and the crash happened when the jet was preparing to touch down on the runway at the Ronal Reagan National Airport.
As the closest airport to the nations capital, the airport is one of the busiest airport in the United States as confirmed by Reuters News Agency. Because of this, Jets and airlines are always in close proximity to military choppers. Former RAF pilot and broadcaster George Bacon informs BBC that these close encounters always happen most of the time. However, they have always employed a “see and avoid” protocol.
The unfortunate incident between the American Airline jet and the Helicopter which happened around 21:00 local time, has claimed the lives of 19 confirmed people, with rescuers still working to find more survivors or bodies in the freezing water.
Sadly, several members of the skating community were onboard the plane as this has been confirmed by the US Figure Skating association.
