Jet with capacity of 65 collides with helicopter near Regan Airport in the US, search & rescue underway

In light of the incident, the airport bordering Potomac River has halted all all takeoffs and landings. National Transportation Safety Board is looking into the cause of the accident.

Emergency service vehicles stand near the site of the crash after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed in the Potomac River, outside Washington, US | Reuters/Carlos Barria

Washington (US): The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday night that a PSA Airlines regional jet collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Reagan Washington National Airport.

PSA was operating Flight 5342 for American Airlines, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, according to the FAA. According to American Airlines’ website, the jet has a capacity for up to 65 passengers.

Police said multiple agencies were involved in a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River, which borders the airport but that there was no immediate word on casualties.

The airport said late on Wednesday that all takeoffs and landings had been halted emergency personnel responded to an aircraft incident.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering more information on the incident.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Jamie Freed, Ross Colvin and Gerry Doyle)

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