American Airlines plane in Potomac River after crash with helicopter, officials say

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- DC Fire and EMS (DCFD) said an American Airlines craft crashed into the Potomac River Wednesday night.

In a associated connection from DCFD and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), officials said that aggregate calls came successful for an craft clang supra the Potomac River adjacent Reagan National Airport (DCA) conscionable aft 8:50 p.m.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that preliminarily, investigators judge that a determination pitchy with American Airlines that was approaching DCA's runways collided with a helicopter.

The level had departed from Kansas.

Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto said a chopper crashed into a 60-person rider level successful mid-air causing it to autumn into the river.

We’re alert of reports that American Eagle formation 5342, operated by PSA, with work from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been progressive successful an incident. We volition supply accusation arsenic it becomes available.

American Airlines statement

Fireboats responded to the country on with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), United States Park Police, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue System and different agencies from surrounding jurisdictions.

Officials said that DCFD, MPD and different agencies were coordinating hunt and rescue successful the river.

Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen said DCFD is making h2o rescues and is asking radical to enactment distant from the country to let archetypal responders abstraction to work.

All take-offs and landings were halted astatine DCA arsenic exigency unit responded to the incident.

As of 10 p.m., Sen. Ted Cruz, (R-Tx.) said "there are fatalities."

The National Transportation Safety Board volition pb the probe with assistance from the FAA.

This is simply a processing story.