Reagan Airport closed until Thursday morning after plane, Black Hawk helicopter crash
(This story has been updated to add new information and correct an inaccuracy in the headline and story.)
Officials announced early Thursday morning that Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will be closed until at least 11 a.m. ET Thursday after a passenger jet collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter above the airport.
The airport is listed as closed on the National Airspace System Status website, which also lists a ground stop for the airport continuing until at least 5 a.m. ET Thursday. "Obviously, that will be fluid," John Potter, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said at a press conference early Thursday morning.
American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, operated by PSA Airlines was preparing to land at the airport before it "collided in midair" with the Army helicopter around 9 p.m. ET, authorities said.
The flight had 64 people on board, and the military helicopter, which was on a training mission, had three soldiers on board, according to FOX News and POLITICO.
A joint statement by the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and DC Fire and EMS released shortly before 11 p.m. ET said that "there is no confirmed information on casualties at this time."
This is a developing story
Contributing: Kathleen Wong, Thao Nguyen, Joey Garrison Paste BN