Several victims of a mid-air crash between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter Wednesday night were identified on Thursday, as officials said they have recovered the passenger jet's black boxes.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.

Federal authorities are asking questions as to how the collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter could have occurred.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s website boasts that the U.S. has the world's toughest qualifications for airline pilots.

A man has revealed the heartbreaking final text he received from his wife who was onboard American Airlines flight 5342 before it collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River in Washington,

A regional jet carrying 64 people collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter. Reagan National Airport grounded all flights.

There was a mid-air collision between a commercial airliner and a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night over the Capital Region. “The FAA and NTSB will investigate,” the statement added.

Officials indicated a number of people died after an American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter Wednesday night, causing both to crash into

Wednesday’s fatal collision and two other incidents dramatically illustrate the challenges pilots and air traffic controllers face in the complex, security-sensitive skies above the nation’s capital.

A plane collided in midair with a helicopter approaching Reagan Washington National Airport, near the Potomac River, Wednesday night, officials set. A rescue operation was underway, officials said. Multiple 911 callers reported the crash near the river just before 8:55 p.

Search efforts continue after an American Airlines plane from Wichita, with 64 people on board, collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., and crashed into the Potomac River.