Pilot’s five chilling words after ’fireball’ crash at Ronald Reagan airport
An American Airlines plane and military Black Hawk helicopter collided in mid-air near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with one pilot in the vicinity witnessing the "fireball".
A pilot described the devastating explosion of an American Airlines plane after a shocking mid-air collision with a Black Hawk military chopper.
The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that the tragic accident happened around 2am GMT when a jet leaving Wichita, Kansas, smashed into the helicopter as it was coming in to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington.
There are confirmed fatalities with 64 on board the plane and 18 confirmed dead.
Chilling air traffic control audio from the time of the disaster has a controller asking the helicopter, "PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight," referring to the doomed passenger plane. American Airlines has acknowledged the reports of one of its aircraft being involved in the horrific event and has vowed to release more information as it becomes available.
Dramatic video footage from a nearby camera at the Kennedy Center shows two lights, looking like aircraft, merging in what seems to be a fiery blast. Airport officials have stated that emergency services were dispatched to deal with "an aircraft incident on the airfield."
The aircraft was attempting to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington when it crashed, sparking a large-scale search and rescue operation in the Potomac River. At the time of the crash, there were three soldiers on board the Black Hawk and four crew members on the American Airlines plane.
A pilot nearby quickly radioed air traffic control, exclaiming, "Tower, did you see that? " just seconds after the impact. Another pilot in the vicinity reported over the radio, "I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone," Air traffic control audio captured the pilot’s words: "I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone".
President Donald Trump was briefed on the situation, his press secretary confirmed. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance took to social media platform X to ask supporters to "offer prayers for all those affected."
The incident recalls the tragic Air Florida crash on January 13, 1982, where a plane met a chilling end in the Potomac, taking the lives of 78 people due to harsh weather conditions.
A webcam at the Kennedy Center managed to capture the eerie mid-air explosion over the Potomac.
Mark Segraves of NBC Washington, citing two sources, reported that the crash site on the Potomac is closer to the shore of Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. He described the American Airlines plane as "split in two and is in about 7 feet of water... The helicopter is upside down and is not stable, and it is bobbing up and down. Sometimes it’s underwater, sometimes it’s above, and divers have not been able to make entry into the helicopter yet because of the lack of stability there."
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