An American Airlines jet was seen flying at an unusual angle moments before it plunged from the sky, a witness has claimed.
Motorist Ari Schulman had been driving along the George Washington Parkway in Washington DC when he spotted the mid-air crash on Wednesday night. The plane, which was carrying 60 passengers plus four crew at the time, collided with a US Army helicopter on a training exercise before both plummeted from the sky.
Searches are currently underway in the Potomac River, with officials confirming they have so far recovered 19 bodies. The Black Hawk chopper was carrying three soldiers at the time of the exercise, when it collided with the jet on approach to runway 33 at nearby Reagan Washington Nation Airport after coming from Wichita, Kansas.
Mr Schulman told NBC Washington he saw the passenger jet in distress and flying at an extreme angle, before disappearing into darkness. “Initially, it looked normal, but suddenly, it banked all the way to the right - past 90 degrees. I could see the underside, glowing bright yellow, with a stream of sparks beneath it,” he said.
He added: “I didn’t see any helicopter. It’s a very, very dark night out tonight. So anything that’s not illuminated, you can’t really see. So I didn’t see the other aircraft, but I saw the plane banking at an angle that a plane shouldn’t bank. And I saw sparks flying.”
Harrowing webcam footage of the crash from a distance shows the moment it happened, as the moving light of the American Airlines jet collides with the smaller moving dot of the helicopter, resulting in a fireball in the sky. Another witness, Abadi Ismail, heard the moment of impact which he likened to "a warzone".
“I heard two unusual bangs, something I’ve never heard before. It kind of sounded like a warzone,” he told CNN. Rushing to his window, he described seeing smoke billowing from the scene, as the rescue operation soon followed.
Among the passengers were several members of the figure skating community, including former Russian champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. A statement from the American governing body for the sport, US Figure Skating, confirmed that "several members of our skating community were sadly aboard". It said: "These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."
US President Donald Trump also said on Wednesday night that he was monitoring the situation. He praised first responders for their "incredible work", adding, "may God bless their souls". Echoing the sentiment, Vice President Vance urged the public on X, "Please say a prayer for everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport this evening. We're monitoring the situation, but for now let's hope for the best."
He wrote: "The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing."
