A tragic aviation accident near Washington DC's Reagan National Airport claimed multiple lives after an American Airlines plane collided with a US Army helicopter.
According to the Daily Mail, Fox News anchor Sean Hannity disclosed private text messages from an unnamed congressman indicating over 60 fatalities from the devastating collision between Flight 5342 and a Blackhawk helicopter.
The catastrophic incident occurred on January 29, just before 9pm, when the commercial aircraft carrying 60 passengers and four crew members struck the military helicopter with three occupants. Washington DC Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly confirmed that rescue teams have recovered 28 bodies from the jet and one from the helicopter as search efforts continue.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy aligned with President Donald Trump's assessment that the crash could have been avoided. He explained that while both aircraft followed standard flight patterns, the helicopter was aware of the commercial plane's presence in the area. The military aircraft was conducting a training mission when it intersected the airspace from the opposite direction.
American Airlines chief executive Robert Isom emphasized that Flight 5342's pilots were experienced professionals. The captain had served nearly six years with PSA Airlines, the regional AA subsidiary, while the first officer had approximately two years of service.
Duffy clarified that the helicopter's training mission designation did not necessarily indicate inexperienced pilots. He noted that such missions in the DC area primarily involve pilots accumulating flight hours and experience.
Over 300 first responders and rescue personnel were deployed to the Potomac River on inflatable boats. Additional teams set up searchlights to illuminate the murky waters during the desperate search for survivors.
During a media briefing, Duffy revealed that the American Airlines plane's fuselage was discovered in three separate areas of the Potomac. He described the wreckage as being in "waist-deep water," with recovery operations actively underway.
Among the passengers believed to be deceased were members of the US figure skating team returning from the US Figure Skating Championships. The impact created a massive fireball visible on dashboard cameras of vehicles driving on nearby highways.
On Fox News, Hannity shared text messages from a congressman revealing devastating details about the crash. The host stated:
I'll keep it off the record but a well-known Congressman just wrote me and said off the record. This Congressman is telling me and confirming what Kevin Cork said that this Congressman is being told that there are 60 plus dead.
Duffy indicated there was standard communication between both aircraft and the control tower before the collision. He emphasized that weather conditions were clear and both the helicopter's river route and the commercial flight's landing approach followed normal patterns for the area.
The devastating collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a US Army Blackhawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport has resulted in dozens of confirmed fatalities. As recovery efforts continue in the Potomac River, investigators are examining why the tragic incident occurred despite apparently normal flight operations and communication protocols.
The crash has particularly impacted the figure skating community, with team members among those lost in one of DC's worst aviation disasters.
