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An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard 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.

Latest: At least 30 dead, US Figure Skating Team on jet that crashed with helicopter over DC

<p>&gt;&gt; BREAKING NEWS FROM WRAL COVERAGE. YOU CAN COUNT ON. &gt;&gt; AND WE BEGIN WITH THAT MAJOR BREAKING NEWS OUT OF WASHINGTON, D.C., A COMMERCIAL JET HAS COLLIDED WITH THE HELICOPTER NEAR WASHINGTON'S REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I'M LENA TILLETT AND I'M GERALD OWENS. LOOK BEHIND US. THIS MASSIVE SCENE ALONG THE POTOMAC RIVER. &gt;&gt; IN THE WASHINGTON AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA AREA, THIS SCENE IS IS HUGE CREWS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT. WE UNDERSTAND A COMMERCIAL JET COLLIDED WITH A MILITARY HELICOPTER OVER THE POTOMAC RIVER. ALL FLIGHTS OUT OF NATIONAL IN AND OUT OF NATIONAL ARE GROUNDED. THE INVESTIGATION IS UNDER WAY. LET'S GET RIGHT TO BRIAN SHRADER IN THE WRAL LIVE CENTER. BRIAN, YOU ARE LEARNING A LOT OF INFORMATION WITHIN JUST THE LAST 2 MINUTES. HE JUST GOT A STATEMENT FROM THE FAA AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT THAT LIVE PICTURE. THAT MASSIVE RESPONSE ON THE POTOMAC RIVER. &gt;&gt; THE FAA SAYS THAT AIRLINES CRJ 700 REGIONAL JET. &gt;&gt; FLYING UNDER AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT. 53 42 FROM WICHITA, KANSAS. &gt;&gt; COLLIDED IN MID AIR WITH THE SIKORSKY H 60 HELICOPTER. THAT IS A BLACK HAWK WHILE ON APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY THERE AT WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT. THIS ALL HAPPENED AROUND 9 O'CLOCK THAT PSA FLIGHT AGAIN FROM WICHITA, KANSAS, ON APPROACH COLLIDED WITH THE HELICOPTER. THERE IS VIDEO OUT THERE WORKING TO GET SOME VIDEO FOR YOU OF THE COLLISION ITSELF. A WEB CAM CAPTURED THAT COLLISION. YOU CAN SEE THIS MASSIVE RESPONSE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW AND THE POTOMAC RIVER. NO WORD AT THIS POINT ON ANY SURVIVORS OR ANY CASUALTIES. THIS IS A FAST DEVELOPING STORY. AND THROUGH THIS NEWSCAST AS WE GET NEW INFORMATION, WE WILL LET YOU KNOW, AS YOU MENTIONED, REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT RIGHT NOW ON A GROUND STOP AS THIS INVESTIGATION JUST BEGINS. A STUNNING STUNNING SCENE HAVING GROWN UP IN WASHINGTON, D.C., A NUMBER OF BRIDGES ARE AROUND THAT AREA WHICH MEANS A LOT OF PEOPLE MAY HAVE SEEN THIS. JOINING US NOW FROM THE PHONE IS TIM KRAUSE IS AN AVIATION EXPERT. &gt;&gt; WE APPRECIATE YOUR EXPERTISE IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS. OF COURSE, THIS IS VERY RARE. CAN YOU PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE HOW RARE IT IS FOR A COMMERCIAL PLANE TO COLLIDE WITH A BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER? JAMES? &gt;&gt; WELL, MIT ARE ARE VERY RARE ANYWAY. BUT IF ANY AREA IS RIPE FOR THIS TO HAPPEN, IT'S THIS AREA OTHER THAN NEW YORK CITY WHERE THERE'S A LOT LOW FLYING AIRCRAFT, BOTH HELICOPTERS AND FIXED WING AROUND THEM AND THAT AND AROUND LA GUARDIA, NEWARK AREA, THIS AREA IS VERY HEAVILY TRAVELED. I ACTUALLY FLEW UP THERE DAVISON ARMY AIRFIELD, WHICH IS IN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, AND WE HAD ACTUAL LOW LEVEL HELICOPTER OUT FLEW RIGHT BESIDE REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT AND WE FLEW UNDER AIRCRAFT COMING IN ALL THE TIME TO REAGAN NATIONAL AND THERE. I MEAN, THERE'S A PARK SERVICE SAYS THE POLICE, YOU'RE ALL THE MILITARY HELICOPTERS THAT FLY IN AND OUT OF THERE. THE THE PENTAGON IS RIGHT NEAR THERE. ALL THE EXECUTIVE TRANSPORTS FLY OUT OF THERE. SO THIS IS AN AREA. THAT'S WHY THIS SORT OF TRAGEDY. &gt;&gt; WE ARE LOOKING LIVE AT IMAGES FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., SEEING THE FLASHING RED AND BLUE LIGHTS THERE. BUT DOZENS OF FIRST RESPONDERS ARE ON THE SCENE RIGHT NOW. JUST A STUNNING SCENE AS AGAIN. THERE IS A GROUND STOP NOW AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST AIRPORTS IN THE COUNTRY. REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT. I WONDER KNOWING AT LEAST THE DETAILS THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE ANY SURVIVORS AND THIS. &gt;&gt; I HATE TO SPECULATE, BUT THIS SORT OF AN EVENT. &gt;&gt; IT IS RARE FOR THERE TO BE SURVIVORS. BUT &gt;&gt; YOU NEVER KNOW. IT'S A FORCE OF THE IMPACT IS WHERE THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE FUSELAGE IS. DID THEY GET WINGTIP THE ROTOR SYSTEM I MEAN, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. SO SURVIVORS ARE POSSIBLE COURSE. WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HYPOTHERMIA. THE POTOMAC IS FAIRLY COLD. THIS TIME OF YEAR. SO THERE'S THE LET'S HOPE THEY'RE SURVIVORS. THAT'S THE BEST I CAN SAY. ABSOLUTELY. &gt;&gt; JOINT BASE ANDREWS IS ALSO NOT FAR FROM HERE TO ANOTHER PLACE WHERE THERE ARE A LOT OF MILITARY AIRCRAFT GOING IN AND OUT AT A REGULAR A CLIP. CAN YOU TELL ME? DO YOU THINK? &gt;&gt; THAT? HOW LONG ARE YOU EXPECTING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS TO BE HERE? &gt;&gt; THAT THEY SHOULD BE THERE FAIRLY QUICKLY IN IN THAT AREA IS IS FULL OF LOVE. POLICE DEPARTMENTS, FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND RESCUE SUSPECT SEVERAL MILITARY BASES IMMEDIATELY RIGHT THERE ON THE HUDSON. I MEAN, ON THE POTOMAC, I WOULD SUSPECT THEY'LL BE RESPONDERS. THERE RIGHT AWAY. SO THAT'S A GOOD THING. &gt;&gt; FOR MANY PEOPLE, THIS MAY BE POTENTIALLY BRINGING UP MEMORIES OF 9.11. DO YOU HAVE ANY SUSPICION THAT MAYBE THERE'S TERRORIST ACTIVITY HERE OR THAT THIS WAS JUST A REALLY, REALLY AWFUL ACCIDENT? I WOULD NOT THINK THIS IS A TERRORIST EVENT. AS I SAID, THERE ARE PLENTY OF A MILITARY HELICOPTER, CIVILIAN HELICOPTERS THAT FLY IN AND OUT OF THAT AREA AROUND WASHINGTON NATIONAL. SO I THINK IT'S MORE LIKELY THAN NOT. THIS IS A A AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TRAGEDY, RATHER THAN A TERRORIST CAUSED EVENT. &gt;&gt; AND AGAIN, THIS IS A COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT HERE. SO THIS WAS NOT A SMALL PLANE. THEY BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS A COMMERCIAL PLANE HEADED FROM WICHITA TO REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT. WE ARE CERTAINLY GOING TO CONTINUE TO STAY ON TOP OF THIS STORY. JUST A REALLY TRAGIC SITUATION. TIM KRAUSE</p>

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An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard 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.


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