Prayer Alert: 'No Survivors', after Passenger Jet and Black Hawk Helicopter Collide in Fireball Over Potomac River, DC

Wendy Griffith : Jan 30, 2025
CBN News

"...As one nation we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly. We are a country ... in mourning. ... We can only begin to imagine the agony that [the families] are all feeling. On behalf of the First Lady, myself, and 340 million Americans, our hearts are shattered alongside yours and our prayers are with you now, and in the days to come." -President Donald Trump, from the press briefing that he began with a moment of silence for the victims

[CBN News] A US Army Blackhawk helicopter collided with a commercial airliner in midair over Washington, DC, while approaching Reagan National Airport Wednesday night, sending both aircraft plunging into the icy Potomac River. There are believed to be no survivors. (Screengrab image: via Fox News)

Search and rescue teams quickly reached the body of the plane which was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found. However, after an intense search in difficult conditions, rescue teams did not find any living victims.

American Airlines flight 5342 carried 64 passengers and crew. Three soldiers were on board the Army helicopter. Officials report recovering at least 28 bodies so far from the river. Now the race to rescue the victims has transitioned to a recovery mission.

A livestream from an EarthCam web camera captured the moment of impact as a fireball lit up the sky. Both aircraft then crashed into the Potomac, making rescue efforts difficult.

Eyewitness Ari Schulman was driving home when he looked up and saw the plane falling from the sky. "It was illuminated bright yellow underneath and there was a spray of sparks underneath - I knew something was wrong," he said.

Authorities say the passenger jet was inbound from Wichita, Kansas, and making its final approach to Reagan.

All the identities of the 60 passengers aboard the airliner have yet to be confirmed, but coaches, skaters, and others who had been in Wichita, Kansas for the 2025 US Figure Skating Championships were believed to have been on the flight.

Emergency personnel rushed to the scene in the late night hours, as officials scrambled boats and divers in the darkness, hoping to pull any possible survivors out of the frigid water.

"The water that we're operating in is about eight feet deep. There is wind, there is pieces of ice out there, so it's just dangerous and hard to work in," said Washington DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly.

The investigation is now underway as officials try to determine what happened.

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu asked for prayer. "We really want to ask each and every Wichitan and every American to pray for everyone involved in this incident," she said.

President Donald Trump said he had been "fully briefed on this terrible accident" and, referring to the passengers, added, "May God Bless their souls."

The CEO of Reagan National Airport said they have been providing support to the families impacted. The airport will be closed until later today. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Click Here to watch the CBN News report on the crash