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What Happened to the Passengers on American Airlines Flight 5342?

On the evening of Jan. 29, American Airlines flight 5342 traveling from Witchita, Kan., to Washington, D.C. collided with a United States Army Black Hawk helicopter near the Reagan Washington National Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter. The plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members and the helicopter, which had three people aboard, crashed into the Potomac River. 

The passenger jet, a Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-700 series twin-engine jet, was operated by American Airlines’ subsidiary airline, PSA Airlines.

What was first a rescue mission became a recovery operation, with all 67 passengers in both aircraft being confirmed dead.

“Our hearts are with the victims’ families as they navigate this tragic loss,” Washington, D.C., officials shared in a statement Feb. 4. “We extend our deepest condolences and remain committed to supporting them through this difficult time.”

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, is still putting the pieces together but said in an update that data from air traffic control showed the helicopter appeared to be higher than the 200-foot ceiling allowed for its route.

“This data showed the Black Hawk was at 300 feet on the air traffic control display at the time of the collision. the NTSB said in a Feb. 4 investigation update. “This data is rounded to the nearest 100 feet.”