Video shows horrifying moment plane explodes in midair collision near Washington DC
Video shows horrifying moment plane explodes in midair collision near Washington DC
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Shocking footage has emerged showing the moment a small American Airlines plane exploded mid-flight near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC on Wednesday evening. The small American Airlines aircraft, believed to be carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, plunged into the Potomac River in the nation's capital just after 9pm local time, following a collision with a US army Blackhawk helicopter.
Shortly after, fireboats were seen rushing to the scene, accompanied by vehicles carrying first responders and investigators from various agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Amidst the rescue operation, the Federal Aviation Administration suspended all takeoffs and landings at the domestic airport, with the grounding order remaining in place until at least 10.30pm.
The chilling video, captured by an observation camera near the Kennedy Center, shows two sets of lights, consistent with two aircraft, merging into a massive fireball in the sky before both plummet to the ground - or, in the case of the plane, into the Potomac, reports the Mirror US.
It was later confirmed that a Blackhawk military helicopter carrying three soldiers - whose conditions are currently unknown - collided with a regional jet operated by American Airlines en route to Washington from Wichita, Kansas. The commercial flight had been preparing to land at Reagan National Airport.. Amid the unfolding crisis, authorities fear numerous fatalities from the devastating collision.
