An American Airlines flight operated by PSA Airlines was involved in a midair collision with an Army helicopter Wednesday night near the nation’s capital.
American Eagle Flight 5342 was on approach to runway 33 at the Washington, D.C.-area’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at the time of the collision, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The Bombardier CRJ700 was carrying 64 people, including passengers and crew.
Officials said those on Flight 5342 and the helicopter are presumed dead.
PSA Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, according to the airline’s verified LinkedIn page.
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The airline said it has a “team of more than 5,000 employees who do a tremendous job of operating more than 800 daily flights to nearly 100 destinations on behalf of American Airlines.”
Its fleet consists of Bombardier CRJ700 and CRJ900 jets.
As of August 2024, PSA Airlines had 61 CRJ700 and 80 CRJ900 jets, according to a screen capture from the airline’s website.
The airline’s flight crews are based in five cities: Dayton, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, North Carolina; Philadelphia and Dallas, according to its LinkedIn.
Its president and CEO is Dion Flannery.
PSA Airlines said on Wednesday that its headquarters, which is currently located in Dayton, Ohio, would be relocated to Charlotte next year, according to The Charlotte Observer.
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The regional airline has been a subsidiary of American Airlines since the mid 2010s.
“This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said of Wednesday’s midair collision. “Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.”
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