By now, you’ve likely seen the news we hoped couldn’t be true: Just before 9 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday night, an American Airlines regional jet collided with an Army helicopter while on final approach to runway 33 at Washington, D.C.-Reagan National Airport (DCA).
American Airlines Flight 5342 departed Wichita, Kansas (ICT), earlier that evening before colliding mid-air with the helicopter just a half mile short of the runway, landing in the Potomac River. The jet involved was a Bombardier CRJ700, operated by wholly-owned subsidiary PSA Airlines.
According to reporting from the Associated Press, all involved are feared dead, and the response has moved from a rescue to a recovery effort overnight. The regional jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, while the helicopter had three U.S. service members on board.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom released a video statement late last night, expressing his sorrow at what unfolded, calling it a “difficult day for all of us at American Airlines.”
The NTSB and FAA are investigating the crash as crews continue the recovery efforts in D.C. Thursday morning.
This is the first deadly commercial airplane crash in the United States since 2009. Air travel is and continues to be the safest form of transit by a wide margin in this country. As more details come to light over the coming days and weeks, the aviation industry as a whole will surely take steps to ensure tragic events like what unfolded last night can be avoided.
None of that makes what happened Wednesday night any less devastating.
We at Thrifty Traveler are heartbroken by what unfolded here, and we’re sure you are, too. And while we’re following this story like anyone else who cares so much about travel, we aren’t going to provide minute-by-minute coverage here. For that, we would direct you to the Associated Press, which has reporters in Washington, D.C., handling this tragedy with its usual journalistic rigor, free of speculation or hyperbole.
The Thrifty Traveler team is absolutely devastated by this news, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew of Flight 5342 and the U.S. service members onboard the helicopter, as well as all of their families, coworkers, loved ones, and friends.
