The staffing at the air control tower at Reagan National Airport was "not normal" when an American Airlines plane and Army helicopter collided on Wednesday night, a report shows.

Another flight arriving at Reagan National Airport was forced to abort landing due to helicopter traffic just 24 hours before the tragic midair crash between a military helicopter, according to a

While officials have not said how many people died or were injured, the crash has already taken an emotional toll on the local communities.

An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, at Reagan National Airport on Wednesday.

The U.S. Army described the helicopter as a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. The helicopter was on a training flight. Military aircraft frequently conduct training flights in and around the congested and heavily-restricted airspace around the nation’s capital for familiarization and continuity of government planning.

Law enforcement and other officials say an aircraft went down near Ronald Reagan National Airport, and all takeoffs and landings have been halted.

A passenger jet has collided with a helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington.

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

A view of emergency response looking from Arlington, Va., south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, across the Potomac River toward the District of Columbia, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.

There were multiple fatalities, according to a person familiar with the matter, but the precise number of victims was unclear as rescue crews hunted for any survivors.