A man whose wife was on the doomed American Airlines Flight 5342 has revealed his heartbreaking final texts to her before the crash.
Hamaad Raza revealed his 26-year-old wife was on board the tragic flight from Wichita, Kansas to Washington when it collided with a military helicopter just before 9pm on Wednesday night.
Emergency services in the city are searching the Potomac River near the airport following the incident.
‘I’m just praying that somebody’s pulling her out of the river right now, as we speak. That’s all I can pray for, I’m just praying to God,’ Raza told WUSA9.
Raza revealed the plane was so close to landing that his wife got reception and was able to text him immediately before the crash.
‘She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes. The rest of my texts didn’t get delivered and that’s when I realized that something might be up,’ he said.
The airplane held four crew members and 60 passengers, and the helicopter carrying three soldiers on a ‘training flight’.
Officials have not said how many people died in the accident but the bodies of 30 people reported to have been recovered so far. Authorities have suggested that there may be no survivors.
A man whose wife was on the doomed American Airlines Flight 5342 showed a reporter his heartbreaking final texts to her before the crash
The plane from Wichita, Kansas to Washington collided with a military helicopter just before 9pm on Wednesday night
Raza said his wife had gone to Wichita for work but that she’d never felt comfortable flying.
He and a family member were pacing anxiously through Terminal 2 at Reagan Airport Wednesday night, waiting for any news.
The WUSA reporter has described his conversation with Raza as ‘one of the most heartbreaking interviews of my professional career’.
Passengers on the flight included ice skaters, family and coaches returning from events in Wichita, including Russian-born former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
The skaters on board were returning from a camp following an event in Wichita, governing body US Figure Skating said.
‘We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,’ it said.
Russian media said Shishkova and Naumov, who were married and working as coaches, were returning from Wichita with a group of young skaters.
Their Team USA figure skater son Maxim 23, was at the Wichita camp although it is unclear if he was also on the fateful flight.
US figure skating team member Spencer Lane, 26, uploaded the photo around 7pm ET Wednesday, which appeared to show the jet taxiing on the runway at Wichita Airport in Kansas before it took off for its final flight.
He captioned it ICT -> DCA – the codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Russia’s Mash news outlet published a list of 13 skaters, many of them the children of Russian emigres to the US, who it said were believed to have been on the plane.
The Kremlin offered condolences to the families of Russians killed and said there were no plans for contacts for now between President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump.
Pictured: Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov , who were reportedly on the plane, with their son Maxim, 23, a prominent US figure skater
Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov are reported to have been on board the American Airlines plane that crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter
Spencer Lane, 26, shared this photo from inside the doomed American Airlines plane as it took off from Wichita Airport in Kansas on Wednesday evening
Spencer Lane is pictured on the podium during a previous tournament. He was on board the American Airlines plane that crashed into the Potomac River in Washington DC, killing at least 30
American Airlines Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700, collided with a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Runway 33.
The plane - which was travelling to the capital from Wichita, Kansas - is said to have split in two and is in around seven feet of water, while the helicopter is upside down and is unstable, according to the outlet.
Defense officials have confirmed that the Black Hawk was an Army chopper that was carrying three soldiers at the time who were on a training flight.
A massive search and rescue operation is in progress, with divers visible in the glare of powerful lights as they plunged into the snow-lined Potomac to scour the wreckage of both aircraft.
NBC's Washington affiliate News4 reported that more than 30 bodies had been recovered from the river. US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, from where the flight was traveling, suggested most if not all those on board had been killed.
'It's really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously,' he told a press conference at Reagan airport in the US capital early on Thursday.
'When one person dies, it's a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it's an unbearable sorrow. It's a heartbreak beyond measure.'
Surveillance footage taken from inside the airport also captured the moment the two collided in midair
Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to conjoin in a fireball
A search and rescue boat operates along the Potomac River near the site of the crash after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a helicopter
Emergency response units assess airplane wreckage in the Potomac River
Defense officials have confirmed that the Black Hawk was an Army chopper that was carrying three soldiers at the time
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Washington DC fire chief John Donnelly said first responders were working on the rescue operation.
'Conditions out there are extremely rough for the responders,' Donnelly said. 'It's cold. They're dealing with windy conditions.'
Asked whether there were any survivors, he said: 'We don't know yet.'
'At these frigid water temperatures, the human body's core temperature quickly drops. Exhaustion or unconsciousness can occur in as little as 15 to 30 minutes,' AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin said.
Airports authority CEO Potter said the airport would remain closed until at least 11am on Thursday.
'We're cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can,' American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said.
CBS News reported that a dive team had recovered one of the two data recorders, the so-called black boxes, from the plane.
The plane is said to have split in two and is in around seven feet of water, while the helicopter is upside down and is unstable
Lights from emergency vehicles are seen at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, after an air crash near the Potomac Rive
In audio from the air traffic control tower around the time of the crash, a controller is heard asking the helicopter, 'PAT25 do you have the CRJ in sight,' in reference to the passenger aircraft.
'Tower, did you see that?' another pilot is heard calling seconds after the apparent collision. The tower immediately began diverting other aircraft from Reagan.
In a statement, DC Police said: 'At 8:53pm, multiple calls were received for an aircraft crash above the Potomac River.
'DC Fire and EMS, the Metropolitan Police Department and multiple partner agencies are currently coordinating a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River. There is no confirmed information on casualties at this time.
The airport said in a post to X: 'All takeoffs and landings have been halted at DCA. Emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open. Will update.'
Images taken at the scene show scores of emergency service teams along the riverside. Footage has also emerged online of helicopters with search lights passing over the Potomac River.
Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to conjoin in a fireball.
Surveillance footage taken from inside the airport also captured the moment the two collided in midair.
Flightradar tracking data shows the final approach of the flight as it crosses over the Potomac, before it cuts out.
NBC Chief Meteorologist Doug Kammerer said that at the time of the incident the water temperature in the river was around 37 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kammerer said that at that temperature someone in the water has only 15 to 20 minutes before they start suffering from hypothermia.
As the rescue mission continued, a small crowd gathered silently on the west bank of the Potomac River at Daingerfield Island in Virginia.
They watched as three helicopters shone spotlights on the black water scouring for survivors.
There was a small debris field on the water and a boat, and it was believed divers had gone in.
Emergency equipment stages at Gravelly Point, north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, along the Potomac River, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025
Vast numbers of emergency vehicles were gathered on the east bank of the river, on the Washington D.C. side, their lights illuminating the Capitol building and the Washington Monument
Rescue boats work the scene on the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington
Boats work the scene on the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025
Vast numbers of emergency vehicles were gathered on the east bank of the river, on the Washington D.C. side, their lights illuminating the Capitol building and the Washington Monument.
More emergency vehicles waited on the end of the airport runway to the north of where the crash happened. Police vehicles closed off roads accessing the airport building, which was virtually empty.
The Pentagon said it was launching an investigation.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: 'I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls.
'Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.'
Less than four hours after the disaster - and while other officials stressed they were waiting for investigations to unfold - Trump took to social media to question the actions of the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers.
'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,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
'Why didn't the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!'
In a post to X, Vice President JD Vance said: '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.'
Emergency services in Washington DC said that a small aircraft had crashed in the Potomac River near the Reagan National Airport, seen here
Emergency services in the city are searching the Potomac River near the airport following the incident just before 9pm on Wednesday night
Emergency personnel work near the site of the crash after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River, outside Washington, U.S., January 30, 2025
The plane was being operated as an American Eagle Flight by PSA Airlines for its parent carrier American Airlines
Tents have been set up in the vicinity following the plane crash, pictures show
American Airlines said in a statement: 'We're aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been involved in an incident. We will provide information as it becomes available.'
American Airlines has asked that anybody that believes they had loved ones on the flight to call 800-679-8215.
An The Federal Aviation Authority statement said: 'A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time.
'PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas. The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation.'
DailyMail.com has approached the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for more information.
In 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River, killing 70 passengers and four crew members. Only four passengers and one crew member survived.
The last deadly major crash involving a commercial airliner in the U.S. was in 2009, when all 49 people aboard a Colgan Air flight died when the plane crashed in New York state. One person was also killed on the ground.