Reagan airport was at the center of a fierce safety debate last year. Lawmakers approved more flights anyway - ‘We’ve been pretty plain about our [safety] concerns, but it isn’t a good time to speculate right now,

DCA is one of the most demanding airports in the world. It also has what’s known as ‘helicopter alley’ with hundreds of police, military, news and rescue helicopters criss-crossing

Wednesday’s crash has resurfaced concerns about the airport’s proximity to the river, narrow landing space and overcrowding. Despite the geographic and logistical challenges, Congress authorized 10 additional “slots,” or flights, to DCA’s daily flight schedule.

U.S. authorities said on Thursday it was not yet clear why a regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter collided at a Washington airport, killing 67 people in the deadliest U.S. air disaster in more than 20 years.

Before the additional flights were approved, a senator warned that the increase could heighten the risk of collisions.

Part of the wreckage is seen as rescue crews search the waters of the Potomac River after a passenger plane on approach to Reagan National Airport crashed into the river after colliding with a US Army helicopter, near Washington, DC, on January 30, 2025.

Leaders across the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region, as well as federal lawmakers, are reacting to the tragic American Airlines plane crash near DCA.

First responders are searching the Potomac River after an aircraft collided with a military helicopter mid-air Wednesday night near Washington D.C. According to the FAA, a PSA Airlines jet collided in the air with a military helicopter while headed towards Runway 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The audio indicates that air traffic controllers tried to warn the Army helicopter about a nearby Canadair Regional Jet.

An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a regional jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday evening, U.S. officials confirmed to ABC News.

Latest news and live updates after an American Airline jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River.