Ronald Reagan national airport halts all takeoffs and landings following midair collision.A jet carrying 64 people has collided midair with a military helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC.
The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 jet collided with a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at around 9pm (02:00 GMT Thursday), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
“PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas,” the FAA said in a statement.
You can follow live updates on the Potomac River crash story here
There was no immediate word on casualties or the cause of the collision. All takeoffs and landings from the airport have been halted. Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River and first responders set up light towers from the shore to illuminate the area near the site of the collision.
The FAA said the airport would be closed until at least 5am on Friday.
American Airlines confirmed there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft. The US army confirmed that its helicopter was carrying three personnel.
Police and fire services said a multi-agency search and rescue operation was under way in the Potomac River. Advertisement
‘Both aircraft in the river’
Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi, reporting from Washington, DC, said there was an “enormous response” at the scene of the crash, including emergency vehicles and boats.
“We should be very clear, this is the main local airport serving the Washington, DC, metropolitan area,” Rattansi sai …