Several Washington DC-bound flights from Kentucky canceled after Wednesday's fatal collision

Christopher Leach, Lexington Herald-Leader on Jan 30, 2025

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Several flights from Kentucky to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. were canceled Thursday after a deadly midair plane crash Wednesday night.

The crash happened near the airport over the Potomac River. The Federal Aviation Administration said an American Airlines passenger jet from Wichita, Kan. collided with a black hawk helicopter while approaching the airport’s runway.

There were 64 people onboard the jet and three people onboard the helicopter. During a Thursday morning press conference, Washington D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said 28 bodies have been pulled from the water, and officials are conducting a recovery mission after searching for survivors overnight. Officials have said they don’t think there are any survivors.

As a result of the crash, the airport shut down its runway to all departing and arriving flights. The airport is expected to resume operations at 11 a.m.

Gov. Andy Beshear said he is praying for the victims in the crash.

“Britainy and I are praying for the families and loved ones of those affected by the plane crash near Washington D.C., and our hearts are with the brave first responders on the scene,” Beshear said in a post on X. “This is a tragedy for our country, and we must stand together during this difficult time.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

How is the crash affecting Kentucky flights?

There were eight canceled flights from Kentucky to Ronald Reagan National Airport as a result of Wednesday’s crash, according to airport flight boards and flight tracking websites. One canceled flight was at Blue Grass Airport — a Delta Air Lines flight originally scheduled to take off at 6:10 a.m.

The daily flight is still scheduled to depart from Blue Grass Airport Friday morning, according to flightaware.com.

There are four flights from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to Ronald Reagan National Airport scheduled for after noon Thursday, according to the airport’s flight board. Two American Airlines flights were canceled while the other two, both operated by Delta Air Lines, were scheduled to depart at 2:29 p.m. and 5:27 p.m.

Two other flights out of Cincinnati, American Airlines 5445 and Delta Air Lines 5229, were canceled, according to flightaware.com.

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport had three scheduled flights to Ronald Reagan National Airport, all of which were canceled, according to the airport’s flight status board and flightaware.com.