A passenger jet has collided with a Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter while landing at an airport near Washington DC.
This is what we know so far:
• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed the crash involved a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ701 twin-engine jet regional jet and a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter.
• The airliner was on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9pm local time (2am UK time).
• American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, was travelling from Wichita, Kansas with 60 passengers and four crew on board. American Eagle is a regional brand for American Airlines.
• The US Army helicopter – a UH-60 Black Hawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia – was on a training flight when the collision happened. Three soldiers were on board.
• At least 18 bodies have been recovered following the crash according to CBS News. There are no official figures for the number of dead or injured, but local media has also reported four people have been found alive.
• The Bombardier plane which crashed in midair broke into two pieces and is in around seven feet of water in the Potomac River, sources told the local NBC News station in Washington DC. The helicopter is upside down in the water.
• A large search and rescue operation is underway, involving boats and helicopters. Divers are also in the water.
• CCTV footage shows a flash of light in the sky at 8.47pm local time (1.47am UK time) appearing to show the moment the aircraft collided and burst into flames.
• A few minutes before it was scheduled to land, the American Eagle flight was given permission to approach runway 33. Air traffic controllers checked with the helicopter pilot that they had the arriving plane in sight. Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
• Flight tracking information, based on data transmitted by the Bombardier plane’s radio transponder, reveals it was at an altitude of about 400ft and a speed of about 140mph when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River.
• The US President said he is monitoring the situation after being briefed on what he described was a “terrible accident”. He also praised emergency crews and referenced the victims, adding: “May God Bless their souls”.
