
While driving home Wednesday evening on the George Washington Parkway near Ronald Reagan National Flight Terminal, Ari Shulman stated a “spray of stimulates” overhead captured his interest as he viewed in scary the midair crash in between American Airlines Trip 5342 and a United State Military Black Hawk helicopter unravel.
Authorities stated Thursday that the collision smashed the local traveler aircraft right into items as it and the army helicopter plunged right into the icy Potomac River, eliminating everybody aboard both airplane– 67 sufferers integrated.
” I recalled and [the plane] was banked right to the right … it was brightened yellow beneath and there was a spray of stimulates on the bottom,” Schulman informed ABC Information primary nationwide reporter Byron Pitts.
Protection video clip launched quickly after the collision verified Shulman’s summary of the initial significant united state air calamity in virtually 16 years.

Component of the wreck is viewed as rescue watercrafts browse the waters of the Potomac River after an airplane on technique to Reagan National Airport terminal collapsed right into the river outside Washington, DC, on January 30, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP through Getty Pictures
Video clip video footage revealed Trip 5342 with 60 guests and 4 staff participants aboard making its last technique to Reagan National when it was struck by a Black Hawk helicopter taking a trip southern with a trip staff of 3.
” I understood something was extremely incorrect since it was extremely, extremely short– banked right to the right,” Shulman of Alexandria, Virginia, stated.
He stated he eyed the roadway for simply a minute.
” I recalled once more and it was gone,” Shulman stated. “I really did not see any kind of collision right into the ground. I really did not see a fireball, a surge, or fires.”

Rescue watercrafts browse the waters of the Potomac River after an airplane on technique to Reagan National Airport terminal collapsed right into the river outside Washington, DC, January 30, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP through Getty Pictures
Fire Principal John Donnelly of the Washington D.C. Fire Division stated at a press conference Thursday early morning that an American Airlines airplane, run by its subsidiary PSA Airline companies, was located “inverted” in 3 items in waist-high water of the Potomac. He stated the helicopter was uncovered close by.
” Now, we do not think there are any kind of survivors from this crash,” Donnelly stated.
Donnelly stated the search-and-rescue goal was not a search-and-recovery procedure. He stated 27 bodies had actually been recuperated from the aircraft and one from the helicopter.
Donnelly stated that at 8:48 p.m. regional time, the control tower at Reagan National sent an alert of an airplane collision.
” Really promptly, the telephone call intensified,” Donnelly stated.
He stated 300 initial -responders competed to the river in a hopeless effort to locate survivors, which would certainly show useless. Within 10 mins, the initial emergency situation system showed up on the shocking scene, evaluating the wreck of both airplane in the Potomac River.
” The water that we’re running in has to do with 8 feet deep,” Donnelly informed press reporters at the sad early-morning rundown. “There is wind … items of ice out there, so it’s simply unsafe and difficult to operate in. And since there’s not a great deal of lights, you’re around browsing every square inch of room to see if you can locate anyone.”
He included, “Scuba divers are doing the exact same point in the water. The water is dark, it is dirty, which is an extremely difficult problem for them to dive in.”

An info display in Reagan National Airport terminal’s vacant luggage insurance claim location shows emergency situation guidelines after an airplane collapsed right into the Potomac River outside Washington, DC, January 29, 2025.
Ulysse Bellier/AFP through Getty Pictures
At the same time, the clinical personnels of 3 significant Washington, D.C., medical facilities stated they were prepared to deal with sufferers, yet as the mins became hours, no rescues showed up from the collision website with individuals.
From the financial institutions of the Potomac, search helicopters were seen penetrating the water with searchlights as fire watercrafts made journeys to and fro via the icy Potomac, moving what seemed particles from the collision, consisting of bags.
Inside, the typically dynamic airport terminal was strangely peaceful Wednesday night. The separation and arrivals boards were virtually empty.
Jack Potter, head of state and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, stated some member of the family were waiting to get enjoyed ones prior to the collision, and American Airlines had actually established a facility in the airline company’s lounge for member of the family.