Cruz has a key role in congressional oversight of the Wednesday night accident as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which has jurisdiction over aviation safety.

Staffing levels at the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport were 'not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,' according to a preliminary report

Emergency alert is displayed on screens at Ronald Reagan National Airport, after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed in the Potomac River, U.S. January 30, 2025. (Reuters/Ken Cedeno)

Dozens of people are feared dead after a military helicopter collided with a civilian airliner midair around Washington, D.C.

First responders are searching the Potomac River after an aircraft collided with a military helicopter mid-air Wednesday night near Washington D.C. According to the FAA, a PSA Airlines jet collided in the air with a military helicopter while headed towards Runway 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

WASHINGTON — A passenger jet collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.

The Federal Aviation Authority has confirmed US Army Blackhawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane were involved in a mid-air collision.

Lawmakers have an interest in boosting direct flights to their states because Reagan is closer to downtown than Dulles.

The plane, operated by subsidiary PSA Airlines, collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Reagan airport at around 9 p.m. local time.

An aircraft is down in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, authorities said after a suspected collision late Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if there are fatalities. Video circulating on X appeared to show a midair collision.

Emergency crews have recovered 18 bodies from the Potomac River following the midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a military Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport on 29 January 2025.