An Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with the 12th Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir collided with a civilian passenger plane carrying 64 people as it approached Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. this evening.
The number of casualties is unknown as of press time. First responders are currently active in the waters of the Potomac River. The plane, an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, had 60 passengers and four crewmembers. The crash happened just before 9 p.m. local time, with the plane, a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, on its approach into the airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The U.S. Army confirmed the Black Hawk’s involvement in the collision, with Joint Task Force-National Capital Region adding that the helicopter flew out of nearby Fort Belvoir.
“We can confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight’s incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir during a training flight,” JTF-NCR said in a statement to Task & Purpose.
The helicopter had a crew of three onboard, according to reports citing defense officials. Army aviation units in the area regularly fly on training missions around the Washington, D.C. airspace. It’s unclear if it took off from Fort Belvoir or from another location in the D.C. area.
The cause of the crash is unknown and is currently under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Reagan National Airport is closed until Thursday morning, the FAA said.
This is a developing story.
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