Tuesday, February 11, 2025

American Airlines Plane Collides With Black Hawk Helicopter In Washington DC

A Black Hawk military helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight killing all 67 people onboard the two aircrafts.

It’s the deadliest aviation disaster in U.S. since November 2001, when an American Airlines flight crashed in Belle Harbor, New York, killing 265 people.

The mid-air collision took place near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at approximately 8:47 p.m. The Army UH-60 helicopter was on a training flight while the plane was on its final approach to the airport.

plane collision
American Eagle Flight 5342, carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew collided with Army UH-60 Black Hawk at approximately 9 p.m. on Wednesday

While the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered, federal investigators said the investigation can take several months.

Following the crash, the plane was found upside-down in three sections in the Potomac river. The helicopter wreckage was also found nearby.

Images from the river showed boats around the plane’s mangled fuselage and partly submerged wing. Dozens of bodies have since been recovered.

According to Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines, American Eagle Flight 5342 was making a normal approach when the military helicopter entered their path.

A report by the Federal Aviation Administration said one air traffic controller was responsible for coordinating arriving and departing aircraft in addition to helicopter traffic at the time of the collision.

bodies recovered
Dozens of bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River

While those duties are normally divided between two people, the role was combined into one that night, as it’s usually the case when traffic slows down.

Chief of staff for Army aviation Jonathan Koziol said the two pilots of the military helicopter were ‘very experienced’ and had flown this particular route before at night so it wasn’t new for them.

At the time, the helicopter’s maximum allowed altitute was 200 feet. It’s currently unclear whether they had gone past that limit. However, experts believe altitude was a factor in the mid-air collision.

Victims Include Young Figure Skaters

Among those killed in the deadly collision are two young figure skaters, their mothers, and coaches.

Following the crash, many people brought flowers to the Ashburn Ice House – located about two hours away from the airport where the incident took place – which was frequented by some of the victims.

jinna and spencer
Jinna Han (left) and Spencer Lane (right) were returning from a national development camp with their mothers and coaches when the plane collided with the military helicopter

Both figure skaters had taken part in a national development camp in Wichita, Kansas, which followed the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships this past weekend.

16-year-old Spencer Lane had won the 2025 Intermediate Eastern Sectionals and had thousands of followers on social media.

He was a student at Barrington High School before leaving to pursue a figure skating career.

Just before takeoff, he had posted an Instagram story showing the wing of the plane.

The second victim was 13-year-old Jinna Han, who placed second in the Novice Women’s Short Program during the 2025 Eastern Sectional Singles Final two months ago.

The figure skaters’ coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were also killed in the crash.

Doug Zeghibe, the CEO of the Skating Club of Boston called the incident a ‘horrific tragedy’ and said it would have ‘lasting impacts for the skating community’.

Brooke Carter
Brooke Carter
Freelance writer who loves dogs and anything related to Japanese culture.
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