Washington DC- A US passenger plane carrying 64 people crashed into the cold waters of the Potomac River tonight, after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport. This prompted a major emergency response and the grounding of all flights. The plane had been about to land after flying from Kansas. American Airlines, whose subsidiary operated the flight, said "there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft." A US Army official said the helicopter was a Black Hawk model carrying three soldiers -- their status currently unknown. Washington police said "there is no confirmed information on casualties at this time," although a massive search and rescue operation was in progress. The Washington Post quoted unnamed sources saying that police had started to pull multiple bodies from the Potomac. Witness Ari Schulman described "a stream of sparks" and what looked like a large firework when the collision took place overhead as he drove home. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of all planes at Reagan National, and Washington's police said on Twitter that "multiple agencies" were responding to the crash site in the Potomac. Fireboats had joined the operation on the river, where any work was complicated by the fact it was dark and close to freezing. Dozens of fire trucks headed toward the airport and divers could be seen going off boats into the Potomac. The FAA said a Bombardier regional jet operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines "collided in midair" with a Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter as it approached for landing at Reagan at around 9:00 pm. The plane had left from Wichita, Kansas. US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said the collision was "nothing short of a nightmare." "I ask the world to join me in praying for Kansas this evening, the first responders, rescue crews, and all those involved in this horrific accident," he wrote on Twitter.

Washington DC- A US passenger plane carrying 64 people crashed into the cold waters of the Potomac River tonight, after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport. This prompted a major emergency response and the grounding of all flights. The plane had been about to land after flying from Kansas. American Airlines, whose subsidiary operated the flight, said "there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft." A US Army official said the helicopter was a Black Hawk model carrying three soldiers -- their status currently unknown. Washington police said "there is no confirmed information on casualties at this time," although a massive search and rescue operation was in progress. The Washington Post quoted unnamed sources saying that police had started to pull multiple bodies from the Potomac. Witness Ari Schulman described "a stream of sparks" and what looked like a large firework when the collision took place overhead as he drove home. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of all planes at Reagan National, and Washington's police said on Twitter that "multiple agencies" were responding to the crash site in the Potomac. Fireboats had joined the operation on the river, where any work was complicated by the fact it was dark and close to freezing. Dozens of fire trucks headed toward the airport and divers could be seen going off boats into the Potomac. The FAA said a Bombardier regional jet operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines "collided in midair" with a Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter as it approached for landing at Reagan at around 9:00 pm. The plane had left from Wichita, Kansas. US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said the collision was "nothing short of a nightmare." "I ask the world to join me in praying for Kansas this evening, the first responders, rescue crews, and all those involved in this horrific accident," he wrote on Twitter.