Officials say the conditions of the Potomac River are complicating recovery efforts of the bodies of the 67 presumed dead in a mid-air collision between American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita and a military Black Hawk helicopter.

Darkness has now fallen once again over the Potomac River making this already difficult recovery mission more challenging. Boats remain in the water at this hour and we're told about 50 members of the NTSB are out.

The plane collided with a helicopter just before it was scheduled to land. This is a developing story and will be updated.

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.

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.

The flight appeared to collide with a helicopter just before it was scheduled to land. This is a developing story and will be updated.

This afternoon the NTSB held its first briefing on the crash saying this was a very quick and rapid impact. Since Wednesday night they have been dealing with difficult conditions. Despite that, the DC fire chief says he is confident the remains of everyone involved will be found.

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.

From out of nowhere, a small darting light and then a fireball. That was the view Wednesday night, what I saw in a video posted to the Washington Post’s website. The fate of American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita colliding with a U.

An American Airlines flight crashed into a U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter over the Potomac River as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Several members of the figure skating community have spoken out after several athletes and their families were involved in a plane crash