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.

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

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,

The Potomac River is running around 42 degrees. While search crews may don suits to help with the cold temperatures, passengers from Flight 5342 may only have 30-40 minutes. According to the flight manifest, American Eagle Flight 5342 had 60 passengers and four crew members on board.

We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital.

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.

The crash and rescue on the icy river connecting Washington, DC and Virginia had similarities to this one. Five of the 79 aboard the flight survived.

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.

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.