On the evening of January 29, 2025, an aviation accident occurred in Washington, D.C. During its approach to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, a regional passenger plane, a Bombardier CRJ700 operated by PSA Airlines, collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The crash resulted in significant casualties and triggered a large-scale search and rescue operation.
The passenger aircraft carried 60 passengers and four crew members. Among the passengers were renowned figure skaters, coaches, and their family members returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Wichita, Kansas.
Notably, Russian figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who had moved to the U.S. after their successful careers in the 1990s, were among the deceased. Their son, Maxim Naumov, also a figure skater, was not on the flight. The Black Hawk helicopter was conducting a training flight with three military personnel on board.

The collision occurred around 9:00 PM local time. After impact, both aircraft fell into the Potomac River, complicating rescue efforts due to the frigid water temperature of approximately 2°C.

Emergency responders quickly launched a search and rescue mission involving around 300 personnel, including FBI dive teams. By the morning of January 30, authorities had recovered 19 bodies, with no reports of survivors.
Audio recordings from air traffic control confirm that before the collision, controllers asked the helicopter pilots if they had visual contact with the passenger jet and advised them to “pass behind” the aircraft.
Moments later, the impact occurred. The passenger plane broke into several pieces, while the helicopter overturned but remained largely intact. Divers managed to access the aircraft’s cockpit and retrieve one of the black boxes, which may help determine the cause of the disaster.

Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) arrived at the scene to investigate. Ronald Reagan National Airport temporarily suspended operations until 11:00 AM on January 30, redirecting flights to Washington Dulles International Airport.
The crash has drawn comparisons to the 1982 Air Florida disaster, in which a passenger plane struck a bridge and crashed into the frozen Potomac River, killing 78 people. Analysts suggest this may be Washington’s worst aviation disaster in decades.
President Donald Trump commented that the accident “should have been prevented,” questioning why air traffic control only inquired whether the helicopter saw the aircraft instead of issuing a direct order. He stated that the commercial plane was “on a perfect and routine landing trajectory” while the helicopter appeared to be “on a direct path toward the plane for an extended period.”

Both aircraft remain in the river as authorities continue recovery efforts. The investigation is ongoing.