An airspace cluttered with passenger planes and military aircraft. A history of near-crashes. And a growing shortage of air traffic controllers available to manage it all. Some experts, politicians and airport managers have been warning for years of the risks posed by the crowded airspace and volume of flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

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.

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.

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

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

David Freeman caught a flight to International Airport on Thursday from Reagan National Airport after a American Airlines jet collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River on Wednesday night.

Airport preferred by Washington lawmakers and lobbyists lies in some of the most congested airspace in the country.

The airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has long been problematic due to heavy military and commercial flight activity in the nation’s capital, according to industry insiders.

South Holland police ultimately had to clear out trustees, neighbors, and the news media after allies and critics of Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard let their fists speak for them.

The crash near Reagan National Airport has renewed questions about the airport's flight load, considering its small size, among other issues.

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

Lawmakers have expressed concerns about congestion in at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport amid a constricted space.