A regional American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided over Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night in the nation's first major commercial airline crash since 2009. There are confirmed fatalities from the collision,
Aviation experts have warned for years about near collisions at airports around the US, citing air traffic control shortages and airspace congestion.
A jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., sending the two aircraft plummeting into the Potomac River. Everyone on board the two aircraft is feared dead, officials said Thursday.
Without providing any evidence, Trump harshly attacked Democrats for supposedly lowering standards for air traffic controllers, which he suggested could have led to the crash.
“While performing a training mission a United States Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, Va., collided in midair with an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet Flight 5342 last night at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport," he said.
United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and several other U.S.-based carriers have all given investors strong forecasts for the year.
The flight appeared to collide with a helicopter just before it was scheduled to land. This is a developing story and will be updated.
United CEO Scott Kirby diminished American in comments on Wednesday. American CEO Robert Isom barely responded during American's earnings call.
Multiple fatalities have been reported Thursday morning after an American Airlines plane and a U.S. Army helicopter collided midair near Reagan Airport in D.C.
The crash of an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter was the latest to strike the sports world in the U.S. and globally.