Federal investigators are working to determine the cause of a deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport that presumably killed all 67 people on board an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army helicopter Wednesday night. The incident occurred just one day after another aircraft was forced to abort its landing due to helicopter interference, marking the second such close call in the span of a week.
According to The Washington Post, the previous near-miss involved Republic Airways Flight 4514, which had to divert its approach to Reagan National Airport on Tuesday after receiving an emergency alert about helicopter traffic below its flight path. On January 23, another flight arriving from Charlotte was also forced to abort its landing due to a similar issue. Passengers aboard that flight reported circling back before successfully landing.
The fatal collision Wednesday night involved American Airlines Flight 5342, a regional jet carrying 64 passengers and four crew members, and a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter operated by the U.S. Army’s 12th Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The aircraft collided over the Potomac River as Flight 5342 was making its approach to Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport.
Air traffic controllers had been in communication with the helicopter pilot before the collision, according to audio logs reviewed by FlightRadar24. Controllers asked the pilot whether he had visual contact with the approaching commercial flight. The pilot confirmed that he did and requested “visual separation,” indicating an attempt to maneuver away from the plane’s path. Moments later, the two aircraft collided, resulting in an explosion.
Aviation safety experts have raised concerns about the frequency of military helicopter flights near Reagan National Airport and their potential interference with commercial flight paths. A 2023 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that nearly 88,000 helicopter flights were conducted within 30 miles of the airport between 2017 and 2019. In 2021, the GAO noted that flight altitude restrictions had been put in place to minimize conflicts between military and commercial air traffic.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assigned a dedicated air traffic controller to manage helicopter operations at the airport, according to The Washington Post. However, a preliminary FAA report indicated that staffing levels in the control tower on Wednesday night were “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.” The Associated Press later cited a source familiar with tower operations who disputed that claim, stating that staffing levels were routine and that positions are regularly combined during shift changes or breaks.
President Donald Trump addressed the collision during a Thursday press briefing and later signed an executive order directing newly appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and acting FAA Administrator Christopher Rocheleau to review hiring and safety protocols. Trump, while stating that he was not certain whether diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies played a role in the crash, said that his administration’s priority would be ensuring competence in aviation safety roles.
“In other words, competence,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “We want the most competent people, no matter what race they are.”
When asked whether he was aware of any performance concerns with the air traffic controllers on duty during the collision, Trump responded that he was not but emphasized that controllers must be “brilliant.”
“I don’t like that the helicopter was at the exact same level as the airplane,” Trump said.
🚨 #BREAKING: President Trump just EVISCERATED the FAA, and blamed their incompetence on their DEI practices during his press briefing on the DC plane crash
Holy CRAP.
Trump also CALLED OUT Pothole Pete Buttigieg, saying he had a “good line of bullsh*t”
“He has run FAA right… pic.twitter.com/JHQjZd6w71
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 30, 2025
The president said he planned to meet with family members of the victims, who included young people and figure skaters from multiple countries. The names of the victims are expected to be released at a later time.
Rocheleau, who was appointed acting FAA administrator after former Administrator Michael Whitaker resigned on Inauguration Day, will oversee the agency’s review. Whitaker had served for just over a year in the Biden administration in a Senate-confirmed position that typically carries a five-year term.
🚨BREAKING: President Trump has ALREADY taken and ABOLISHED Biden’s DEI policies less than 24 hours after the DC plane crash.
“We want the most competent people. We don’t care what race they are. We want the most competent people.”
pic.twitter.com/6TyRIB8VCM— Bo Loudon (@BoLoudon) January 30, 2025
The National Transportation Safety Board, the FAA, and the Department of Defense are all participating in the investigation into the collision. Authorities have not yet released preliminary findings regarding what may have caused the crash.
