BREAKING: Black Hawk helicopter & passenger jet collided in DC

WASHINGTON, DC — Federal leaders are confirming that some people have died, following the collision between a military Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight in Washington, DC, as the passenger jet was trying to land at Reagan National Airport Wednesday night.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the collision happened in midair between a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet and a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter, while the jet was on approach to land at Reagan National Airport 9 p.m. Eastern Wednesday night.

60 passengers and 4 crew were believed to be on board on the jet, and 3 servicemen on board the Black Hawk. The Potomac River waters were approximately 36 degrees, according to FOX 4 Certified Meteorologist Katie Walls.

The collision happened in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over three miles south of the White House and the Capitol.

Click to see the video an EarthCam camera recorded of the apparent midair collision:

According to the Associated Press, American Airlines flight 5342 was inbound to Reagan National at an altitude of about 400 feet and a speed of about 140 miles per hour when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River, per data from its radio transponder. The Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet was manufactured in 2004 and can be configured to carry up to 70 passengers.

A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National and the pilots said they were able.

Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.

In audio from the air traffic control tower around the time of the crash, a controller is heard asking the helicopter, “PAT25 do you have the CRJ in sight,” in reference to the passenger aircraft.

“Tower did you see that?” another pilot is heard calling seconds after the apparent collision.

The tower immediately began diverting other aircraft from Reagan.

Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.

In a post on social media, American Airlines said it was aware of reports that one of its flights was involved in the incident and said it would provide more information once available.

The crash is serving as a major test for two of the Trump administration’s newest agency leaders, including Pete Hegseth, sworn in days ago as defense secretary, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, just sworn in this week.

Reagan National is located along the Potomac River, just southwest of the city. It’s a popular choice because it’s much closer than the larger Dulles International Airport, which is deeper in Virginia.

Depending on the runway being used, flights into Reagan can offer passengers spectacular views of landmarks like the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol. It’s a postcard-worthy welcome for tourists visiting the city.

The 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 last fatal crash involving a U.S. commercial airline occured in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. Everyone aboard the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane was killed, including 45 passengers, 2 pilots and 2 flight attendants. Another person on the ground also died, bringing the total death toll to 50. An investigation determined that the captain accidentally caused the plane to stall as it approached the airport in Buffalo.

This is a developing story that FOX 4 will continue to update as new information is released.