Disaster Over D.C.: The Deadly Plane Crash

Written by: Keya Gambhir

Last Wednesday, January 29, 2025, a passenger plane, American Eagle Flight 5342, collided with a U.S. Army helicopter, a Black Hawk, above the Potomac River. In this extremely sad accident, all 67 people on both flights passed away. This is an extremely upsetting incident, especially for the families of these victims. Let’s learn what happened.

What Happened?

American Eagle Flight 5342 was a commercial flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C. It carried 60 passengers and 4 crew members, while the Black Hawk helicopter, flown by the U.S. Army, had 3 crew members and was on a night training mission.

Both were flying close to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when the collision happened. A pair of air traffic controllers helped voice the dangers so planes and helicopters land safely; despite everything, the two aircrafts sadly collided.

The Results

The helicopter and plane crashed into the Potomac River after the incident. Several rescue teams took part in the rescue operations but did not find any survivors until Friday when 41 bodies had been pulled and 28 identified. Fire Chief John Donnelly Sr. shared that he expects all remains to be recovered. 

The whole country was shocked after the tragic incident, and several world leaders including King Charles III shared their sadness about the tragedy.

Why did this happen?

The investigators have not yet found what exactly caused the crash. They are investigating any possible mistakes on the part of the pilots, communication problems, and the part played by the air traffic controller. One factor that has naturally raised several eyebrows is that only one air traffic controller was handling the plane and helicopter- a rare practice at such busy airports.

There may also have been rules broken regarding where the helicopter was permitted to fly. Because of this accident, there may be some new safety measures put into place to prevent such a thing from happening again.

What Happens Next?

This accident might usher in fresh rules for helicopter flights around airports. The Federal Aviation Administration has already banned flights over parts of the areas where the crash happened. Experts are also looking for ways to prevent accidents like this from reoccurring

Communities across the country mourn the loss of passengers and crew members. Victims included teenage ice skaters returning from a national tournament, which has deeply affected the figure skating community. Memorials and tributes have also been organized to honor those who lost their lives in this tragic event.

Conclusion

Airplane and helicopter crashes are incredibly rare, and flying is still the safest way to travel, however, when terrible accidents like this happen, they remind us why strict safety measures are so important. While investigators continue their work, we can hope that the lessons learned from this tragedy will, over time, help prevent similar accidents in the future.

For now, the best way to help is to donate to the verified GoFundMe that is supporting the families who were affected by the crash. There are also a variety of pages listed on Fox 7 that honor people who passed during the crash. Let us do our best to support those victimized by this tragedy. If you learned something new from this article, feel free to reach out and let us know.