Mid-Air Collision Kills All On Board

A devastating mid-air collision between an American Airlines plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. has resulted in the loss of all lives on board. The incident occurred late Wednesday, with officials confirming that all passengers, crew, and troops were killed in the collision.

According to D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly, 28 bodies have been recovered as of late Thursday morning. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that emergency personnel are continuing recovery efforts after a search-and-rescue mission was called off. "Emergency personnel from across the region continue their recovery efforts this morning. We are lifting-up in prayer the families of the passengers and crews. The NTSB is leading the investigation with our full cooperation and support," Youngkin said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed that the Black Hawk was on a training flight when it collided with the passenger plane. "At about 8:48 last night, a UH60, assigned to the U.S. Army Aviation Brigade in the military district of Washington, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, collided tragically with a civilian airliner," Hegseth said on Thursday. The Army unit involved was with Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir, and was on an annual proficiency training flight.

The Black Hawk crew consisted of three experienced soldiers who were conducting a required annual night evaluation with night vision goggles. Hegseth described the incident as "a tragedy, a horrible loss of life for those 64 souls on that civilian airliner. And of course, the three soldiers in that Black Hawk." The investigation into the collision is being led by the NTSB, with the full cooperation and support of local authorities.