An American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter outside Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. Wednesday evening. Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter and a massive search and rescue operation is now unfolding in the Potomac River.

An airplane collided with a helicopter while trying to land at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, officials said.

""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 the Potomac River,

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

RICHMOND, Va. ( WWBT /Gray News) - A retired pilot gave a first-hand view of what it’s like to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Chuck Smith says he has made that approach and landing hundreds of times in his career. He shared a video showing what it looks like to fly near Washington, D.C., and over the Potomac River.

A jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington

The Associated Press is providing live video of the scene of the plane crash near Washington’s Reagan Airport:

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

Two “black boxes” have been recovered from the American Airlines regional jet following its deadly collision with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday evening, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

NPR's reporting will continue to focus on what happened and learning what we can about the victims and telling their stories.

The collision between a passenger flight and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29 marks the first fatal disaster involving a U.S. commercial airliner in 16 years.