Latest news with #AA5342
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pilots warned of safety concerns at Reagan National Airport for decades
Pilots and air traffic controllers notified authorities about airplanes and helicopters flying alarmingly close at Reagan National Airport (DCA) in at least 15 incident reports dating back to 1991, according to an ABC News review of the reports. Some of the reports warned that the flight space was "an accident waiting to happen" with others describing scenarios eerily close to what occurred when a military Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 last week as the passenger jet approached the airport. "One of these incidents would have been too many," said former Air Force pilot and ABC News aviation consultant John Nance. "This barometer is in the red. It's telling us there is a real problem here. There is a very, very clear track record of something that needs to be fixed." There are at least four reports of safety incidents associated with runway 33, the same runway that AA 5342 was approaching when the collision that took 67 lives occurred. "This has been happening too many times over the years, and it's now led to a tragedy that could have been prevented," said Steve Ganyard, a former Marine Corps fighter pilot and ABC News contributor. The safety reports were filed with the Aviation Safety Reporting System, a program established by the FAA and managed by NASA that enables professionals within the aviation community to voluntarily and confidentially report safety concerns and incidents in a non-punitive manner. In response to questions from ABC News, the FAA said, "Due to the ongoing NTSB investigation, we cannot provide information at this time." The FAA added that ASRS reports are "one of many data sources we use to identify system-level safety risks." The reports detail accounts of airplane flight crews at DCA who were surprised by helicopters flying too close, oftentimes describing near misses in the air within just hundreds of feet. MORE: Grieving family members visit site of DC plane crash One captain for a major carrier went so far as to call DCA "probably the most dangerous airport in the United States" in a report concerning their broader safety concerns about flying in and out of the airport. In 2015, the flight crew of a regional jet reported a near mid-air collision when it was switched from landing on runway 1 to runway 33 at DCA, coming "within very close contact" of a helicopter also in air. The safety report continues, "This occurred about 400 feet off the ground to the point where the pilot monitoring had to take the controls to make a correction in order to prevent it from becoming a midair collision." The reporting crew says that only after taking action to avoid a collision was the regional jet informed by DCA air traffic control of the close traffic, with the flight crew adding "at that point it would have been too late." American Airlines Flight 5342 was also switched to runway 33 after lining up for runway 1, in order to keep traffic moving, a common practice at DCA. It is not yet known whether air traffic control ever communicated the helicopter's close proximity to the American Airlines flight crew, though the Black Hawk helicopter was asked if they had the airplane in sight and replied that they did. One airplane captain reported a near mid-air collision with a helicopter in April 2024, writing, "We never received a warning of the traffic from ATC so we were unaware it was there." The captain urged "better separation for DCA traffic on the river visual to the helicopter traffic that is flying up and down the river." In 2013, an airplane captain reported coming within 200 feet of a military helicopter while approaching DCA to land, writing, "There are always numerous military and government helicopters running up and down that river at all times of the day and night. Because of this, what would normally be alarming at any other airport in the country has become commonplace at DCA. The FAA allows these aircraft to operate in this environment and we have no choice, but to accept it and deal with it." The concerned airplane pilot in that incident continued, "I cannot imagine what business is so pressing that these helicopters are allowed to cross the paths of airliners carrying hundreds of people!" Nance said this collection of safety incident reports "details a tale of dress rehearsals for what happened last week." In a separate incident report filed in 1997, an airplane first officer detailing a close encounter with a military helicopter said, "I was not comfortable with the level of safety involved with flying within 400 ft [vertically] of a heli and that is considered a normal op." In 1993, a captain of an airplane that came close to a helicopter flying above the Potomac River said, "This heli conflict around DCA is a daily prob!... This is an accident waiting to happen." In 1991, yet another flight crew reporting a converging flight path with a military helicopter wrote, "Here is an accident waiting to happen." MORE: DC plane crash: A timeline of the deadly collision Nance said an examination of these reports illustrates "flight crew confusion at critical junctures in the approach caused by alarming interactions with helicopter traffic," "wildly variable altitudes flown by the helicopter traffic," and "overburdened tower controllers" who "appear to consider the pace of operations and the number of close calls with helicopters in critical areas as business as usual." "The helicopter routes around DCA allow for little margin for error," Ganyard said. "You cannot have aircraft constantly flying so close together and expect to maintain safety." "In the AA crash we see the consequences of a minor mistake becoming a tragedy," Ganyard added. "Step one for the FAA is to reroute helicopter traffic around DCA." In the aftermath of the crash last week, the FAA restricted helicopter traffic over the Potomac River around DCA while the NTSB completes its preliminary investigation. At that point, the FAA said, it will review the airspace based on the NTSB's report. The Aviation Safety Reporting System was established in 1976 to "support the FAA in its mission to eliminate unsafe conditions in the national aviation system, and prevent avoidable accidents," according to its website. The program is managed by NASA as an independent third party with no regulatory or enforcement role, which says it "ensures that de-identified incident data and the results of special studies are communicated to those responsible for aviation safety." On its website, the FAA said it established it is "a positive program intended to ensure the safest possible system by identifying and correcting unsafe conditions before they lead to accidents." In a report last year on near mid-air collisions, ASRA said, "Such incidents are independently submitted and are not corroborated by NASA, the FAA or NTSB. The existence in the ASRS database of reports concerning a specific topic cannot, therefore, be used to infer the prevalence of that problem within the National Airspace System." Pilots warned of safety concerns at Reagan National Airport for decades originally appeared on
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Opinion - Here's what we know so far about the DCA airplane collision
On Jan. 29, just before 9PM EST, American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with an Army Black Hawk (Sikorsky H-60) helicopter. All 64 passengers and crew on the Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet and the three helicopter crewmen were killed. An immediate rescue operation in the frigid waters of the Potomac quickly became a recovery operation, with searches for bodies and the regional jet's black boxes (cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder) underway. Investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Army are ongoing. The hope is that a reason can be found for the incident, with such information useful to avoid future accidents like this anywhere commercial airplanes and military helicopters share common airspace. Anyone who flies commercially, and certainly in and out of Reagan National Airport (DCA), begins to think that they could have been on the ill-fated flight. Maneuvering through DCA's airspace is particularly challenging, given the no-fly zones around the Capital and the White House and the airport's short runways, including the one AA 5342 was directed to land on. On this evening, the weather conditions were clear and air traffic control was in direct communication with the AA5342 crew. Military helicopters flying in the area are common. Early evidence suggests that the crash was avoidable. A full investigation will involve a root cause analysis to eliminate what did not cause the accident. Weather and mechanical issue appear highly unlikely. Air Traffic Control also appears to have followed standard operating procedures. They did change the original flight plan for the AA flight to a shorter runway (labeled Runway 33, which points north-northwest), as confirmed by the flight crew. They also alerted the helicopter of the presence of the regional jet, which has not been confirmed. Shortly after that, the crash occurred. That leaves human error as the likely culprit. Whether evidence of the type of mistake made can be found, however, remains to be seen. The aircraft's black boxes may provide some clues of what the flight crew and aircraft experienced seconds before the collision. Given that a video appears to show the helicopter colliding into the regional jet, this suggests that the error may have been on the part of the helicopter crew. We have yet to learn whether they were following standard operating procedures during their training flight or if the crew of the regional jet acted in error. Despite this event, U.S. airspace is remarkably safe. The last significant helicopter crash in the nation was just over five years ago, in the Los Angeles area, with NBA star Kobe Bryant among the victims. The cause of that crash was weather. Among commercial flights, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed on landing at San Francisco International airport in 2013, with three fatalities. Prior to that, Colgan Flight 3407 crashed on final approach to the Buffalo International Airport in 2009, killing 50 people. Travelers have become accustomed to a risk-free airspace. Events like this one at DCA jar us all back into reality — that there is risk with air travel, even if such risk is infinitesimally small. The last airplane incident with more than 64 casualties dates back to November 2001, when 265 people died on American Airline Flight 587 out of JFK International. Flight crew error was determined to be the cause of the accident. Any time an accident occurs leading to avoidable deaths, everyone is saddened. Passengers on AA 5342 included U.S. and Russian figure skaters, their coaches and family members. Family and friends of every person on the flight are left behind to mourn their loss. The next several days will likely provide a clearer picture of what transpired before, during and after the collision. The best-case scenario is that this is a one-off incident caused by an isolated human error, not any systemic issues that require widespread system changes. Given that the Army helicopter was on a training flight out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia, human error with the helicopter crew appears plausible, though not definitive. The same can be said with the air traffic controller communications to the helicopter crew. When they alerted the helicopter crew about the regional jet, were they talking about and seeing the same aircraft? Until all this is confirmed or refuted, we all will need to wait, as 67 avoidable deaths will be mourned and remain in the public eye. Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., is a professor in computer science in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He used his expertise in risk-based analytics to address problems in public policy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
30-01-2025
- General
- The Hill
Here's what we know so far about the DCA airplane collision
On Jan. 29, just before 9PM EST, American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with an Army Black Hawk (Sikorsky H-60) helicopter. All 64 passengers and crew on the Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet and the three helicopter crewmen were killed. An immediate rescue operation in the frigid waters of the Potomac quickly became a recovery operation, with searches for bodies and the regional jet's black boxes (cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder) underway. Investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Army are ongoing. The hope is that a reason can be found for the incident, with such information useful to avoid future accidents like this anywhere commercial airplanes and military helicopters share common airspace. Anyone who flies commercially, and certainly in and out of Reagan National Airport (DCA), begins to think that they could have been on the ill-fated flight. Maneuvering through DCA's airspace is particularly challenging, given the no-fly zones around the Capital and the White House and the airport's short runways, including the one AA 5342 was directed to land on. On this evening, the weather conditions were clear and air traffic control was in direct communication with the AA5342 crew. Military helicopters flying in the area are common. Early evidence suggests that the crash was avoidable. A full investigation will involve a root cause analysis to eliminate what did not cause the accident. Weather and mechanical issue appear highly unlikely. Air Traffic Control also appears to have followed standard operating procedures. They did change the original flight plan for the AA flight to a shorter runway (labeled Runway 33, which points north-northwest), as confirmed by the flight crew. They also alerted the helicopter of the presence of the regional jet, which has not been confirmed. Shortly after that, the crash occurred. That leaves human error as the likely culprit. Whether evidence of the type of mistake made can be found, however, remains to be seen. The aircraft's black boxes may provide some clues of what the flight crew and aircraft experienced seconds before the collision. Given that a video appears to show the helicopter colliding into the regional jet, this suggests that the error may have been on the part of the helicopter crew. We have yet to learn whether they were following standard operating procedures during their training flight or if the crew of the regional jet acted in error. Despite this event, U.S. airspace is remarkably safe. The last significant helicopter crash in the nation was just over five years ago, in the Los Angeles area, with NBA star Kobe Bryant among the victims. The cause of that crash was weather. Among commercial flights, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed on landing at San Francisco International airport in 2013, with three fatalities. Prior to that, Colgan Flight 3407 crashed on final approach to the Buffalo International Airport in 2009, killing 50 people. Travelers have become accustomed to a risk-free airspace. Events like this one at DCA jar us all back into reality — that there is risk with air travel, even if such risk is infinitesimally small. The last airplane incident with more than 64 casualties dates back to November 2001, when 265 people died on American Airline Flight 587 out of JFK International. Flight crew error was determined to be the cause of the accident. Any time an accident occurs leading to avoidable deaths, everyone is saddened. Passengers on AA 5342 included U.S. and Russian figure skaters, their coaches and family members. Family and friends of every person on the flight are left behind to mourn their loss. The next several days will likely provide a clearer picture of what transpired before, during and after the collision. The best-case scenario is that this is a one-off incident caused by an isolated human error, not any systemic issues that require widespread system changes. Given that the Army helicopter was on a training flight out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia, human error with the helicopter crew appears plausible, though not definitive. The same can be said with the air traffic controller communications to the helicopter crew. When they alerted the helicopter crew about the regional jet, were they talking about and seeing the same aircraft? Until all this is confirmed or refuted, we all will need to wait, as 67 avoidable deaths will be mourned and remain in the public eye. Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., is a professor in computer science in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He used his expertise in risk-based analytics to address problems in public policy.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Members of U.S. figure skating team were aboard plane that crashed near Washington D.C.
Members of the U.S figure skating team were aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 when it collided with a military helicopter near Washington, D.C on Wednesday night and plunged into the Potomac River, U.S. Figure Skating has announced. 'U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C. "These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. "We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.' The U.S. Figure Skating Championships took place Jan. 21-26 in Wichita, Kansas. U.S. Figure Skating did not identify any of the members of its team that were on board. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing that Russian figure skaters and other Russian nationals were on board the plane. The commercial flight coming from Wichita was making its approach to Reagan National Airport when it collided with the helicopter around 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly told reporters that 28 bodies have been recovered. There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard AA5342, according to American Airlines. The Army said there were three soldiers on the helicopter. "We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident," Donnelly said.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Qantas announces big change for staff, photo shows Australia's 'new norm', frantic search for survivors from American Airlines crash
Yahoo's live news blog for Thursday, January 30 has concluded. Qantas has announced it will redesign crew's uniforms as the airline looks to take its brand's perception into a new era. An American Airlines flight has crashed after colliding with a helicopter in Washington DC. There were 64 people on board the flight and at least three personnel on the helicopter with a frantic search underway for survivors. Princess Beatrice has given birth to a daughter several weeks prematurely. Buckingham Palace says King Charles is "delighted" with the arrival of baby Athena, who is the third child of the late Queen's granddaughter. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of hiding a suspected anti-Semitic plot where a caravan was found full of explosives with a note listing Jewish targets. See all of the day's updates below. Yahoo's live news coverage in Australia is now coming to an end, but for those wanting fresh updates on the American Airlines plane crash in Washington DC can follow along here. Tracking site Flightradar 24 has shared the exact location of the crash above the Potomac , reporting the plane was roughly 100 metres from ground level as it flew into Reagan National Airport. The FAA confirms tonight's collision near DCA involved #AA5342 and a US military H60. The helicopter was not broadcasting ADS-B data. The last received ADS-B position from the CRJ was at 01:48 UTC. AA5342 was en route from Wichita to Washington (DCA) and was on final approach… — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 30, 2025 There are unconfirmed reports people have been pulled from the Potomac River alive. "We have been told they are making water rescues," ABC News Live host Phil Lipof said. NBC Washington said four people have been recovered and were rushed to hospitals. However CNN said sources have revealed there are no survivors at this stage. The temperature in the river at the moment, shortly after 11pm (local time), is around 5C. US President Donald Trump has issued a statement on the plane crash in Washington DC. "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." he said. There is a frantic search for survivors of the mid-air crash between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter involving at least 67 people. US Senator Ted Cruz says "we know their are fatalities", with all law enforcement agencies deployed to Ronald Reagan Airport where crews are frantically searching in the Potomac River where the plane came down, a source has told CNN. The search includes dozens of firefighters who have dived into the water. We bring you some breaking news from the US now. There are grave fears for scores of people on an American Airlines flight after it collided with a military helicopter at Washington DC's airport. The aircraft collided with the helicopter as it approached the runway at Ronald Reagan Airport, before crashing into the nearby Potomac River. Kansas senator Roger Marshall described the situation as "nothing short of a nightmare". American Airlines say there are 64 people on the flight. While plenty are feeling optimistic for February's RBA meeting, Judo Bank chief economic adviser Warren Hogan says no cut is more likely than a cut to the interest rate. He told Sky News because there are obvious signs the economy is "actually improving", that's why there's "a question mark on whether inflation will get down into the target band and stay there". He pointed to the US who have paused interest rate cuts due to inflation fears. Defence Minister Richard Marles says he has a "really clear" commitment from the US over the future of our security pact AUKUS. Labor heavily invested in the defence alliance while Joe Biden was US president, and Marles says after a call with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth, DoanTrump is as committed. "He was very positive in relation to AUKUS … it was a very warm conversation. There was very much a sense of common purpose," Marles told ABC Radio National. The pact is widely seen as a counter to China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and Beijing warned after Trump's inauguration that no group should be targeting a third party. Great to speak with US Secretary of Defence @PeteHegseth During our call today we reaffirmed the importance of the Alliance, our shared commitment to regional security and stability, and our cooperation under AUKUSWe look forward to meeting at the earliest opportunity. 🇦🇺🇺🇸 — Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) January 29, 2025 Australian households paid almost 10 per cent more in bank fees in the 2023/24 financial year, with credit card and personal loan use soaring amid the rising cost of living. That contributed to banks enjoying a five per cent jump in fee revenue in 2023/24 - the first annual increase in fee earnings in seven years, the Reserve Bank said in its January bulletin. Australians paid 11 per cent more in credit card fees, mainly reflecting a rise in card-holders spending money overseas as international travel rebounded, said RBA analyst Robert Gao, who authored the report. "With more households using their Australian credit and debit cards at overseas businesses, banks earned more fees on international transactions and foreign currency conversions," he said. Meanwhile, personal loan fees shot up 34 per cent, reflecting growth in establishment and transaction charges as more Australians took out credit to cover cost-of-living challenges. The increase in fee revenue came as Australian households saw their real disposable income fall below 2017 levels, battered by high interest rates and inflation. Residents in Far North Queensland have been forced to evacuate after the state was battered by severe rain, storms and flash flooding overnight. Overnight, heavy rain smashed areas of northern Queensland, with Cairns to Mackay being inundated with more than 100mm of rainfall on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. In the past 48 hours, more than 300mm of rainfall was recorded in Cairns and its surroundings, including 346mm at the Boulders and 321mm at Cairns Racecourse. According to Weatherzone, some areas have copped 900mm in the past three days. A slow-moving low pressure system has dumped more than 900 mm of #rain on parts of #Queensland's North Tropical coast over the last three days, causing flooding and cutting off roads. — Weatherzone (@weatherzone) January 30, 2025 A caravan laden with explosives that was potentially going to be used to target Jewish sites has been linked to a man already in custody after investigations into a spate of anti-Semitic attacks. The van was found abandoned on a semi-rural road in Sydney's northwest outskirts and reported to authorities, sparking a massive, multi-agency probe that includes counter-terrorism investigators. Police on Thursday revealed the owner of the caravan, the presence of which was reported to authorities on January 20, was already in custody on unrelated charges laid by a strike force set up to find those responsible for escalating anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney. No detonator was found in the van alongside the explosives, but Premier Chris Minns described the find as a "potential terrorist event". Read more here. There feels like there's real momentum for a rate cut next month, with millions now very hopeful the RBA will deliver good news. But how on top of their finances are Aussie homeowners? According to new research from comparison site Your Mortgage, 40 per cent of mortgage holders couldn't tell you off the top of their head what rate they're on. Experts have been calling for Aussies to check their rate long before any official cut, saying plenty of homeowners are missing out on big savings by shopping around for the best rate. Qantas has announced it will change the uniforms of cabin crew for the first time in over a decade as part of a complete overhaul of the airline's image. Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said a redesign for staff was 'the start of a new era for the airline and its people' and in the first instance, they would survey the 17,500 members of the uniformed workforce to assist". 'We have ambitious plans for the future and transforming the way we reflect the brand is critical to that,' Hudson said. 'Our uniform represents the Qantas spirit all over the world. With a vast and growing international and domestic network, a historic fleet renewal program underway and the final frontier of global aviation just around the corner it's time to define a new look for our people that reflects where we are heading.' Qantas is now engaging with several designers with plans to roll out a new uniform in 2027. The father found guilty of the manslaughter of his daughter by withdrawing her life-saving medication told police it is what the eight-year-old wanted and that he was 'happy for her'. Police bodycam footage of Jason Struhs recorded on the day after his daughter Elizabeth was found dead was released by the Supreme Court of Queensland, with the 53-year-old defending his actions. 'So on Monday, she decided she'd had enough, so I haven't given her insulin since Monday,' Struhs tells Detective Sergeant Sharny O'Brien in the footage. 'And yesterday she fell asleep and passed away.' Struhs tells Det Sgt O'Brien he helped Elizabeth with administering her medicine - sometimes up to nine times a day - while also managing her diabetic plan at school. 'The world can't heal her because she's got to do it for her whole life, and she wanted to have a go without insulin,' he tells Det Sgt O'Brien. 'So this is where we ended up.' Read more from NCA NewsWire here. A photo gaining traction online highlights what some say has become the "new norm" for homeowners across the country. With return and earn schemes available in all states, more and more people are taking advantage of the scheme which allows people to earn 10 cents for every container returned. But how far some go to retrieve containers has been at the heart of heated debate for several years now, with some going on private property to get a hold of containers. In one Melbourne photo shared on Reddit, one woman can be seen in the front yard of someone's home, with the resident asking if this was normal. While someone said this has become "pretty normal" now and was becoming accepted, others argued coming onto someone's property was "too cheeky to normalise". So what do you think? Have your say below. Princess Beatrice has given birth to a daughter several weeks prematurely, with the 4lb 5oz royal baby, named Athena, said to be healthy and doing well. The late Queen's granddaughter, 36, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi welcomed their second child a week ago on January 22 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. Beatrice and her daughter are now said to be at home, with the family enjoying spending time together with Athena's older siblings, Wolfie and Sienna. The King and Queen have been informed and are delighted, Buckingham Palace said. The princess and her husband released a photograph of their daughter taken by Mr Mapelli Mozzi, showing Athena with dark hair, wearing a white long-sleeved garment, and wrapped in a pink blanket with her face hidden by her arm. Beatrice was due to give birth in early spring, and in December received medical advice and was told not to travel long distances. She joined the royal family at church in Sandringham on Christmas Day after changing her travel plans to spend the festive period overseas, with doctors said to have warned that a premature arrival was a possibility. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of keeping an alleged plot to target Jewish people with a caravan of explosives from the public. The discovery was made in Dural, northwest Sydney, on January 19, however the concerning incident was only shared with the public via media on Wednesday. The Opposition's home affairs spokesperson James Patterson has questioned if Albanese knew about the incident long before the country found out. "The apparent discovery of a roadside bomb in NSW targeting the Jewish community is an incredibly disturbing development in an escalating domestic terrorism crisis," he said, the ABC reported. "The prime minister and minister for home affairs must explain when they were first briefed on this matter, what action they took to protect the community and why they thought it was appropriate to keep it a secret for this long." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Yahoo's live news coverage in Australia is now coming to an end, but for those wanting fresh updates on the American Airlines plane crash in Washington DC can follow along here. Tracking site Flightradar 24 has shared the exact location of the crash above the Potomac , reporting the plane was roughly 100 metres from ground level as it flew into Reagan National Airport. The FAA confirms tonight's collision near DCA involved #AA5342 and a US military H60. The helicopter was not broadcasting ADS-B data. The last received ADS-B position from the CRJ was at 01:48 UTC. AA5342 was en route from Wichita to Washington (DCA) and was on final approach… — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 30, 2025 There are unconfirmed reports people have been pulled from the Potomac River alive. "We have been told they are making water rescues," ABC News Live host Phil Lipof said. NBC Washington said four people have been recovered and were rushed to hospitals. However CNN said sources have revealed there are no survivors at this stage. The temperature in the river at the moment, shortly after 11pm (local time), is around 5C. US President Donald Trump has issued a statement on the plane crash in Washington DC. "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." he said. There is a frantic search for survivors of the mid-air crash between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter involving at least 67 people. US Senator Ted Cruz says "we know their are fatalities", with all law enforcement agencies deployed to Ronald Reagan Airport where crews are frantically searching in the Potomac River where the plane came down, a source has told CNN. The search includes dozens of firefighters who have dived into the water. We bring you some breaking news from the US now. There are grave fears for scores of people on an American Airlines flight after it collided with a military helicopter at Washington DC's airport. The aircraft collided with the helicopter as it approached the runway at Ronald Reagan Airport, before crashing into the nearby Potomac River. Kansas senator Roger Marshall described the situation as "nothing short of a nightmare". American Airlines say there are 64 people on the flight. While plenty are feeling optimistic for February's RBA meeting, Judo Bank chief economic adviser Warren Hogan says no cut is more likely than a cut to the interest rate. He told Sky News because there are obvious signs the economy is "actually improving", that's why there's "a question mark on whether inflation will get down into the target band and stay there". He pointed to the US who have paused interest rate cuts due to inflation fears. Defence Minister Richard Marles says he has a "really clear" commitment from the US over the future of our security pact AUKUS. Labor heavily invested in the defence alliance while Joe Biden was US president, and Marles says after a call with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth, DoanTrump is as committed. "He was very positive in relation to AUKUS … it was a very warm conversation. There was very much a sense of common purpose," Marles told ABC Radio National. The pact is widely seen as a counter to China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and Beijing warned after Trump's inauguration that no group should be targeting a third party. Great to speak with US Secretary of Defence @PeteHegseth During our call today we reaffirmed the importance of the Alliance, our shared commitment to regional security and stability, and our cooperation under AUKUSWe look forward to meeting at the earliest opportunity. 🇦🇺🇺🇸 — Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) January 29, 2025 Australian households paid almost 10 per cent more in bank fees in the 2023/24 financial year, with credit card and personal loan use soaring amid the rising cost of living. That contributed to banks enjoying a five per cent jump in fee revenue in 2023/24 - the first annual increase in fee earnings in seven years, the Reserve Bank said in its January bulletin. Australians paid 11 per cent more in credit card fees, mainly reflecting a rise in card-holders spending money overseas as international travel rebounded, said RBA analyst Robert Gao, who authored the report. "With more households using their Australian credit and debit cards at overseas businesses, banks earned more fees on international transactions and foreign currency conversions," he said. Meanwhile, personal loan fees shot up 34 per cent, reflecting growth in establishment and transaction charges as more Australians took out credit to cover cost-of-living challenges. The increase in fee revenue came as Australian households saw their real disposable income fall below 2017 levels, battered by high interest rates and inflation. Residents in Far North Queensland have been forced to evacuate after the state was battered by severe rain, storms and flash flooding overnight. Overnight, heavy rain smashed areas of northern Queensland, with Cairns to Mackay being inundated with more than 100mm of rainfall on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. In the past 48 hours, more than 300mm of rainfall was recorded in Cairns and its surroundings, including 346mm at the Boulders and 321mm at Cairns Racecourse. According to Weatherzone, some areas have copped 900mm in the past three days. A slow-moving low pressure system has dumped more than 900 mm of #rain on parts of #Queensland's North Tropical coast over the last three days, causing flooding and cutting off roads. — Weatherzone (@weatherzone) January 30, 2025 A caravan laden with explosives that was potentially going to be used to target Jewish sites has been linked to a man already in custody after investigations into a spate of anti-Semitic attacks. The van was found abandoned on a semi-rural road in Sydney's northwest outskirts and reported to authorities, sparking a massive, multi-agency probe that includes counter-terrorism investigators. Police on Thursday revealed the owner of the caravan, the presence of which was reported to authorities on January 20, was already in custody on unrelated charges laid by a strike force set up to find those responsible for escalating anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney. No detonator was found in the van alongside the explosives, but Premier Chris Minns described the find as a "potential terrorist event". Read more here. There feels like there's real momentum for a rate cut next month, with millions now very hopeful the RBA will deliver good news. But how on top of their finances are Aussie homeowners? According to new research from comparison site Your Mortgage, 40 per cent of mortgage holders couldn't tell you off the top of their head what rate they're on. Experts have been calling for Aussies to check their rate long before any official cut, saying plenty of homeowners are missing out on big savings by shopping around for the best rate. Qantas has announced it will change the uniforms of cabin crew for the first time in over a decade as part of a complete overhaul of the airline's image. Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said a redesign for staff was 'the start of a new era for the airline and its people' and in the first instance, they would survey the 17,500 members of the uniformed workforce to assist". 'We have ambitious plans for the future and transforming the way we reflect the brand is critical to that,' Hudson said. 'Our uniform represents the Qantas spirit all over the world. With a vast and growing international and domestic network, a historic fleet renewal program underway and the final frontier of global aviation just around the corner it's time to define a new look for our people that reflects where we are heading.' Qantas is now engaging with several designers with plans to roll out a new uniform in 2027. The father found guilty of the manslaughter of his daughter by withdrawing her life-saving medication told police it is what the eight-year-old wanted and that he was 'happy for her'. Police bodycam footage of Jason Struhs recorded on the day after his daughter Elizabeth was found dead was released by the Supreme Court of Queensland, with the 53-year-old defending his actions. 'So on Monday, she decided she'd had enough, so I haven't given her insulin since Monday,' Struhs tells Detective Sergeant Sharny O'Brien in the footage. 'And yesterday she fell asleep and passed away.' Struhs tells Det Sgt O'Brien he helped Elizabeth with administering her medicine - sometimes up to nine times a day - while also managing her diabetic plan at school. 'The world can't heal her because she's got to do it for her whole life, and she wanted to have a go without insulin,' he tells Det Sgt O'Brien. 'So this is where we ended up.' Read more from NCA NewsWire here. A photo gaining traction online highlights what some say has become the "new norm" for homeowners across the country. With return and earn schemes available in all states, more and more people are taking advantage of the scheme which allows people to earn 10 cents for every container returned. But how far some go to retrieve containers has been at the heart of heated debate for several years now, with some going on private property to get a hold of containers. In one Melbourne photo shared on Reddit, one woman can be seen in the front yard of someone's home, with the resident asking if this was normal. While someone said this has become "pretty normal" now and was becoming accepted, others argued coming onto someone's property was "too cheeky to normalise". So what do you think? Have your say below. Princess Beatrice has given birth to a daughter several weeks prematurely, with the 4lb 5oz royal baby, named Athena, said to be healthy and doing well. The late Queen's granddaughter, 36, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi welcomed their second child a week ago on January 22 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. Beatrice and her daughter are now said to be at home, with the family enjoying spending time together with Athena's older siblings, Wolfie and Sienna. The King and Queen have been informed and are delighted, Buckingham Palace said. The princess and her husband released a photograph of their daughter taken by Mr Mapelli Mozzi, showing Athena with dark hair, wearing a white long-sleeved garment, and wrapped in a pink blanket with her face hidden by her arm. Beatrice was due to give birth in early spring, and in December received medical advice and was told not to travel long distances. She joined the royal family at church in Sandringham on Christmas Day after changing her travel plans to spend the festive period overseas, with doctors said to have warned that a premature arrival was a possibility. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of keeping an alleged plot to target Jewish people with a caravan of explosives from the public. The discovery was made in Dural, northwest Sydney, on January 19, however the concerning incident was only shared with the public via media on Wednesday. The Opposition's home affairs spokesperson James Patterson has questioned if Albanese knew about the incident long before the country found out. "The apparent discovery of a roadside bomb in NSW targeting the Jewish community is an incredibly disturbing development in an escalating domestic terrorism crisis," he said, the ABC reported. "The prime minister and minister for home affairs must explain when they were first briefed on this matter, what action they took to protect the community and why they thought it was appropriate to keep it a secret for this long."
