Hamaad Raza said his wife was on the plane which collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River around 9pm local time as it approached Ronald Reagan National Airport in the US capital.

Raza told media he was hoping for news of his wife’s survival as search and rescue crews dive into the freezing water of the Potomac River.

“That’s all I can pray for, I’m just praying to God.”

Raza said he last received a text message from his wife shortly before the plane was due to land in Washington DC.

“She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes. The rest of my texts did not get delivered,” Raza said.

“That’s when I knew that something was up.”

The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet was approaching the airport in Washington DC.

It was travelling from Wichita, Kansas when it collided with a Sikorsky H-50 Black Hawk Helicopter.

The plane had 60 passengers and four crew on board, while the helicopter carried three soldiers. 

A massive search and rescue mission is now underway to pull survivors from the river.

There are no confirmed reports about casualties so far and American Airlines said in a statement it is “concerned for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft”.