It’s a race against time in the freezing waters of the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Rescuers are hunting for survivors of American Eagle Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jet with 60 passengers and four crew on board, that collided with a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to the airport’s Runway 33.
The water temperature in the Potomac River is currently around 34°F (1°C), posing severe risks to survivors. Immersion in such cold water can trigger an immediate “cold shock” response, characterized by involuntary gasping, hyperventilation, and a spike in heart rate and blood pressure. This response can lead to drowning within minutes if the individual inhales water or loses control.
Even for those who survive the initial cold shock, the danger persists. Cold water robs the body of heat 25 times faster than cold air, leading to rapid loss of muscle function and coordination. Within 10 to 15 minutes, individuals may lose the ability to swim or grasp rescue lines, increasing the risk of drowning. Hypothermia, a drop in core body temperature, can set in within 30 minutes, causing confusion, loss of consciousness, and eventually death if not treated promptly.
Dive crews from Prince George’s County were dispatched to the scene to troll the frigid waters for survivors, though it remains unclear whether any have been rescued.
Local news station NBC4 reported that at least four people had been pulled from the frigid waters Wednesday night following the mid-air collision. A D.C. official also told The Washington Post that there had been “no successful rescues as of 10:30 p.m” — more than an hour after the crash occurred.
Washington DC Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly told reporters during a news conference in the early hours of Thursday that 300 responders from both state and federal teams were currently at the scene trying to salvage through the wreckage and find passengers.
He added they have instilled the help of “boats from all throughout the region,” including the U.S. Coast Guard. Responders are working against freezing water temperatures, cold wind, and complete darkness, with Donnelly also noting that pieces of ice are situated throughout the river—making the rescue effort significantly “dangerous.”
“The water is dark, it is murky, and that is a very tough condition for them to dive in,” Donnelly said, adding that the operation will likely last for several more days. “If you can imagine, the river is a large black spot at night with no lights on it, except for a few buoy lights.”
This incident is reminiscent of the Air Florida Flight 90 crash on Jan. 13, 1982, when a Boeing 737-200 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge shortly after takeoff, plunging into the icy Potomac River—resulting in 78 fatalities, including four motorists.
Remarkably, five individuals survived the initial impact, largely due to the heroic actions of fellow passenger Arland D. Williams Jr., who repeatedly passed rescue lines to others before succumbing to the freezing waters himself.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into Wednesday’s incident.
Ben Sherwood, publisher and CEO of the Daily Beast, is the author of The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life, a New York Times bestseller. In researching the book, Sherwood attended the FAA’s airplane crash survival school in Oklahoma City and the Navy’s Aviation Survival School in Miramar, California.
