A collision between an American Airlines jet and a US Army helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport has resulted in multiple fatalities.
The Bombardier CRJ-701, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, collided with the UH-60 Blackhawk during its approach on Wednesday. Both aircraft crashed into the river.
This incident evokes memories of the 1982 Air Florida crash into the Potomac, which claimed 78 lives.
Fatal commercial plane crashes have become rare in the US — the last fatal commercial crash occurred in 2009 near Buffalo, New York, when a Bombardier DHC-8 crashed, killing all 49 onboard and one person on the ground.
Here are some of the deadliest commercial plane crashes in the U.S. since the Air Florida disaster according to reports from the National Transportation Safety Board:
12 February, 2009: A Colgan Air plane crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing everyone aboard the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane, including 45 passengers, two pilots and two flight attendants. Another person on the ground also died, bringing the total death toll to 50.
27 August, 2006: A Comair aircraft crashed when taking off in Lexington, Kentucky, after it left from the wrong runway and ran off the end. Two crew members and 47 passengers were killed.
12 November, 2001: Just after takeoff, an American Airlines flight crashed into a residential area of Belle Harbor, New York. All 260 people aboard the plane were killed.
11 September, 2001: Nearly 3,000 people were killed as 19 al-Qaida hijackers seized control of four jetliners, sending two of the planes into New York’s World Trade Center, a third into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and the fourth into a field in western Pennsylvania. It remains the deadliest terror attack in history.
31 January, 2000: An Alaska Airlines flight crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Anacapa Island, California. The crash killed 83 passengers and five crew members.
17 July, 1996: A Trans World Airlines flight crashed in the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on its way to Paris, France. All 230 people on board were killed, and the airplane was destroyed.
11 May, 1996: A Valujet Airlines flight crashed into the Everglades about 10 minutes after takeoff from the Miami International Airport. The crash killed all 105 passengers and five crew members.
31 October, 1994: An American Eagle flight in Roselawn, Indiana, crashed, killing 64 passengers and four crew members.
8 September, 1994: A USAir flight crashed while attempting to land in Pittsburgh. It killed 127 passengers and five crew members. The airplane was destroyed by the impact and fire.
19 July, 1989: A United Airlines flight experienced an engine failure and crashed while attempting to land in Sioux City, Iowa, killing 110 passengers and one crew member.
16 Aug, 1987: A Northwest Airlines flight crashed just after taking off in Romulus, Michigan, striking light poles, a rental car facility and the ground. The crash killed 148 passengers and six crew members.
2 August, 1985: A Delta Airlines flight crashed when approaching to land at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport during a thunderstorm. It struck a car and two water tanks, and killed 134 passengers and crew members.
9 July, 1982: A Pan American World Airways flight crashed just after takeoff near New Orleans, Louisiana, and collided with trees and houses, killing 145 people onboard.
13 January, 1982: An Air Florida flight plummeted into the Potomac, killing 70 passengers and four crew members. That crash was attributed to bad weather.
