On January 29th 2025, a passenger jet collided in air with a military helicopter. In total, 67 people lost their lives. There were 60 passengers and 4 crew members in the passenger jet, while 3 military crew members were in the helicopter. NBC News says there is a possibility the military helicopter was flying too high at the time of the crash. The airplane was taking off from Wichita, Kansas. The military helicopter was coming from Fort Belvoir, Virginia. At the time, the American Eagle flight was descending to land when both aircrafts were in transition. When the aircrafts collided, it exploded and caught on fire, leaving smoke and flames falling with pieces of each aircraft.
While the helicopter was changing flight paths. The passenger jet was at approximately 375 ft when the crash had happened. Helicopters are not usually allowed to be flying over 200 ft. An aviation attorney, Tim Loranger claims the data says the passenger jet was “exactly where it was supposed to be, at the altitude that it was supposed to be.” It is known that the pilot and the co-pilot were experienced in flying aircrafts, so the reason they were at the height they were is unknown. Questions are still being asked without any answers. The Potomac River was closed after the crash occurred. Wreckage was in the water and it has been removed. On January 31st, the video of the crash was leaked by two employees from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority in D.C. Both employees were arrested with a misdemeanor and a computer trespass.
There have been many lives lost and many questions still going unanswered. It’s known all the debris from the crash has been taken from the river. Bodies are still being recovered and identified, there have been 55 of 67 found. This was a really tragic crash and not just like any other plane crash. Make sure to keep the victims in your thoughts as many families and friends lost their loved ones.
