Cruz has a key role in congressional oversight of the Wednesday night accident as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which has jurisdiction over aviation safety.

Staffing levels at the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport were 'not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,' according to a preliminary report

Lawmakers have an interest in boosting direct flights to their states because Reagan is closer to downtown than Dulles.

On Wednesday evening, a tragic midair collision occurred between a passenger jet and a US Army helicopter as the aircrafts were approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC. The crash sparked an urgent and large-scale search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River,

Emergency alert is displayed on screens at Ronald Reagan National Airport, after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed in the Potomac River, U.S. January 30, 2025. (Reuters/Ken Cedeno)

WASHINGTON — A passenger jet collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.

Dozens of people are feared dead after a military helicopter collided with a civilian airliner midair around Washington, D.C.

First responders are searching the Potomac River after an aircraft collided with a military helicopter mid-air Wednesday night near Washington D.C. According to the FAA, a PSA Airlines jet collided in the air with a military helicopter while headed towards Runway 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The plane, operated by subsidiary PSA Airlines, collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Reagan airport at around 9 p.m. local time.

An aircraft is down in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, authorities said after a suspected collision late Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if there are fatalities. Video circulating on X appeared to show a midair collision.

The Federal Aviation Authority has confirmed US Army Blackhawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane were involved in a mid-air collision.