Home Business & Economy Travel & Transportation Unusual aircraft collision leaves 67 persons dead

Unusual aircraft collision leaves 67 persons dead

Helicopter and commercial jet collided at low altitude.

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Flight paths of the two aircraft that collided around 8:48 pm Eastern on January 29, 2025. [Map: The Indepndent]
CANADA-USA NEWS & ANALYSIS

Thursday January 30, 2025 | WASHINGTON, DC (reported from Victoria, BC) [Posted at 5:55 am Pacific | Updated 6:33 am]

Transportation News | by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends


A US military helicopter on a training flight appears to have arrived in the path of a commercial jet and a collision ensued.

That was last night over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at Washington DC.

The first call to emergency responders came in at 8:48 pm Eastern Time, according to media sources including CBC and CNN.

Based on new conferences in Washington this morning including the Transportation Safety Board, it was revealed from air control voice records that the helicopter could see it was approaching the incoming commercial jet (American Airlines Flight 5342) which was on track to land on Runway 33.

air crash, washington, map
Flight paths of the two aircraft that collided around 8:48 pm Eastern on January 29, 2025. [Map: The Indepndent]

Sixty-seven people on board:

There were three soldiers aboard the Blackhawk helicopter. One of today’s experts made it clear that a ‘training mission’ does not mean the helicopter operators were inexperienced pilots.

There were 64 people on the commercial flight — 60 passengers and four crew.

That makes in total the deaths of 67 persons between the two aircraft.

“At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” DC Fire Chief John Donnelly this morning at a televised news conference,

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Experienced pilots:

The pilot of the commercial jet had six years experience and the co-pilot had two years experience. But all accounts they were proceeding with a usual landing approach.

air crash, map, flights
Flight path of American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Blackhawk military helicopter. [The Washington Post]

It may be that the helicopter operators were attempting an unusual manouvre that then suddenly went wrong. The helicopter was last recorded at an altitude of 200 feet and the jet at 350 feet.

US President Trump is quoted this morning as saying the accident was “preventable”.

The overnight rescue mission soon turned to a recovery mission by first responders in the cold dark conditions of the shallow river. As of 8 am Eastern Time this morning, already 28 bodies had been recovered (27 from the jet and one from the helicopter).

The weather has been colder than usual over the past week in the Washington area (Washington DC is boundaried by the states of Maryland and Virginia.

According to CBC coverage this morning, at least two Blackhawk helicopters are about to be provided to Canada as part of border security.

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Political & economic news analysis at IslandSocialTrends.ca .

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