What is the newest incident of a commercial airplane crash in the United States?

WASHINGTON — It’s been nearly 16 years since the last fatal commercial airliner crash in the United States. 

Colgan Air, a regional air carrier, was involved in a tragic incident on Feb. 12, 2009. The airline was operating a Bombardier DHC-8-400 turboprop as Continental Connection 3407 from Newark, New Jersey to Buffalo, New York. Regrettably, the flight crashed during its approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in western New York, resulting in the loss of all 49 individuals on board and one person on the ground.

According to findings by the FAA, investigators concluded that the aircraft had encountered an aerodynamic stall while on a straight-in, nighttime instrument approach, leading to its collision with a house located five miles away from the airport.

In the aftermath of this tragic event, significant changes were introduced by federal authorities in the training requirements for pilots. Notably, one of the key modifications implemented is the enhancement of training provided by airlines to prevent and manage aerodynamic stalls, a critical situation where an aircraft decelerates to a point where it loses its lifting capabilities.

In 2018, a passenger on a Southwest Airlines jet was killed after shrapnel from the plane’s engine crashed through a window and caused such a drop in air pressure that a passenger suffered fatal injuries after nearly being sucked outside. It was the first death on a U.S. airline flight since 2009. 

A passenger jet collided with a helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday evening, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.

There was no immediate word on casualties, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington have been halted.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz posted on social media that while “we don’t yet know how many on board were lost, we know there are fatalities.”

Wednedsay’s incident recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plummeted into the Potomac on January 13, 1982, that killed 78 people. That crash was attributed to bad weather.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.