Traveler Learned About D.C. Plane Crash 20 Minutes Before Landing at DCA: 'It Was So Close' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Paola Martinez and her family were just 20 minutes away from landing on their Delta flight from Orlando International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29 when the pilot came on the intercom and announced that there had been an emergency. He didn’t provide many details, only that the airport was closed and no flights were being accepted.

Upon hearing this, 25-year-old Martinez, who lives in Orlando, was at first confused. “We were all just looking at each other,” she recalls exclusively to PEOPLE over Zoom. “We thought it had to be something serious for them to shut down the entire airport. But we weren’t thinking plane crash or anything like that. I was thinking maybe there had been some kind of incident on the ground.”

In the midst of the chaos, Martinez pulled out her phone, which had been connected to the plane’s Wi-Fi. She tried to load a news site, but nothing was working yet. After a while, she saw a headline about a small plane crash, though it offered no details.

“I started reading it and told the people behind me, ‘All I know is a small aircraft was involved, but there’s not much information,’ " Martinez says. “Then a flight attendant came over and said, ‘We heard it was an American Airlines flight.’ "

Paola Martinez’s flight path from DCA to Dulles.Paola Martinez

Paola Martinez

“The people behind us had all the older members of their family with them,” she adds. “One lady kept telling me, ‘If that had been us, all of our grandkids and sons would’ve been left with no one.’ "

Eventually, Martinez’s mom flipped to the airplane map, and realized they were doing a loop. Soon after, it became clear they were heading to another airport. From there, she recalls everything turning to chaos.

Paola Martinez’s view of Washington D.C. while almost landing after the crash.Paola Martinez

“I started thinking about the logistics, like, ‘What am I going to do now?’ " she says. “I was supposed to land at an airport only 10 minutes away from my hotel, and now we were going to be further away. I’ve never been to D.C. before, so it was all a bit overwhelming.”

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Eventually, Martinez and her family made it to their hotel, where they learned about the severity of the crash. The incident occurred afteran American Airlines regional passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopterwhile descending into DCA. There were 64 people aboard the plane — 60 passengers and four crew members — and three soldiers on the helicopter. Officials have stated that theydo not believe there are any survivors.

Martinez adds how her family is in D.C. until Sunday, when they will fly back home to Orlando. Given everything she’s experienced, she’s feeling nervous and scared to get back on a plane, feelings she’sdocumented on TikTok.

“I think it’s been a shock for everyone,” Martinez says. “The people we’ve talked to are all aware of what happened. Even when we got to our hotel last night, the news was everywhere. Our Uber drivers, taxi drivers — everyone was talking about it. We stayed up until 2 a.m. trying to find out more about what had happened and what the authorities were going to release.”

“We would’ve all been on that plane,” she adds of her close call, shaking her head. “It’s crazy to think about. It was so close. You don’t really know how close you are to something like that until it happens, you know?”

source: people.com