On Wednesday the 29th, an American Airlines passenger flight collided with a U.S. Army BlackHawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C, 5km South of the White House. The passenger jet had 64 people on board. The flight was from Wichita, Arkansas, to Washington, D.C., and was about to make a landing when the crash occurred.

What happened? In the events leading to the crash, the airport’s traffic control (ATC) permitted the passenger flight to land on runway 33. A few seconds later, they alerted the Blackhawk, which was conducting a nighttime drill in the area and was heading towards the passenger flight, to pass behind it.  Both planes crashed midair and fell into the river when the passenger flight was turning to its designated runway while the military jet also turned in the same direction.

Aviation experts are shocked at the event and confused about what went wrong. So far, officials say there are no survivors, while 28 bodies have been recovered. In total, there were 67 people on board both aircraft.

Recovery efforts are ongoing, with significant challenges due to the cold water conditions. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.