Updated Jan 30, 2025 - Energy & Climate

In photos: Crews search Potomac River after air crash near Reagan airport

Rebecca Falconer

Emergency units respond to airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. An American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas collided with a helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport. — Emergency units respond to aircraft wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 30 in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Rescue teams were combing the Potomac River after a plane carrying 64 people and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday night.

The big picture: Both the American Airlines regional jet that was flying from Wichita, Kansas, to D.C. and the helicopter carrying three people while on a training exercise were in the river, officials said.

The US Capitol behind lights from emergency crews as they respond to the crash site near the Potomac River after a passenger jet collided with a helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, US, on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. — The U.S. Capitol behind lights from emergency crews as they respond to the crash site near the Potomac River following the collision. Officials didn't immediately comment on whether there were any casualties. Photo: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images

An emergency response team with Washington, DC Fire and EMS and DC Police load diving equipment on a boat to continue working the scene of airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. — Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS and D.C. Police emergency response teams load diving equipment onto a boat on the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, on Jan. 30. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

A firetruck heads toward the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport after an air crash in Washington, DC, on January 29, 2025. A regional jet from Kansas crashed into Washington's Potomac River after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport, officials said — A firetruck in D.C. heads toward the Potomac River following the collision that happened just before 9pm on Jan. 29. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

The US Capitol is seen in the distance as a police vehicle blocks the entrance to the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport after an air crash in Washington, DC, on January 29, 2025. — A police vehicle blocks the entrance to the Potomac River in D.C. on Jan. 29. "Many skaters, coaches and their families were on American Eagle Flight 5342 returning from the high developmental camp held after the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas," per a post to X from The Skating Lesson. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Rescue boats search the waters of the Potomac River after a plane on approach to Reagan National Airport crashed into the river outside Washington, DC, January 30, 2025. — Rescue boats search the waters of the Potomac River on Jan. 30. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the collision. The NTSB is the lead agency. Photo: Andrew Caballero-ReynoldsE/AFP via Getty Images

Emergency response teams including Washington, DC Fire and EMS, DC Police and others, respond to helicopter wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. — Emergency response teams including Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS, D.C. Police and others, respond to helicopter wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Signage displays an emergency message inside Ronald Reagan National Airport following a collision between an American Eagle flight and an Army helicopter in Washington, DC on January 30, 2025. — The scene inside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 30 following the collision. Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more photos and further details on the collision.

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In photos: Crews search Potomac River after air crash near Reagan airport

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