American Airlines confirms 60 passengers, 4 crew aboard crashed jet

American Airlines said 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the commercial jet that crashed into the Potomac River late Wednesday after colliding with a military helicopter in mid-air outside Washington.

"American Eagle Flight 5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas (ICT), to Washington, D.C. (DCA) was involved in an accident at DCA," the airline said in a statement. "There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft."

While, three US Army soldiers were aboard the military helicopter which collided with a regional commercial jet Wednesday over the Potomac River in Washington, a US Army official told AFP.

President Donald Trump "has been made aware of this situation and tragically it appears that a military helicopter collided with a regional jet," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News.

The Federal Aviation Authority ordered the grounding of all planes at Reagan airport, and Washington's police said on X that "multiple agencies" were responding to the crash site in the Potomac.

Police said fireboats had joined the operation on the chilly Potomac River.

The helicopter, a Black Hawk Sikorsky H-60, collided with a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 from Wichita, Kansas that US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said was carrying "roughly 60 passengers."