Just before 9 p.m. EST on Wednesday, a midair collision happened involving a passenger jet and a military helicopter as the plane was attempting to land at Reagan National Airport, near Washington D.C.
The crash is the most significant disaster in U.S. airspace in two decades.
The plane was traveling from Wichita, Kan. It carried 60 passengers and four crew members (two pilots and two flight attendants). The U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter carried three soldiers and was traveling from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
The two aircraft collided at a low altitude and both plunged into the icy Potomac River.
Some 300 responders rushed to help, but early Thursday morning, the search and rescue mission became a recovery mission. No survivors are expected.
The investigation is in its early hours and the cause of the midair collision is still unclear.
We remember those who were lost in the crash and ask what could have happened, and why.
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