An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a regional jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday evening, U.S. officials confirmed to ABC News.

The last major collision of a commercial U.S. airline dates back to 2009, when a Colgan Air incident left 50 dead near Buffalo, New York. Federal regulators tightened safety requirements following the crash, including bolstering aircraft carrier inspection requirements and pilot training hours.

American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River, home to some of the country's most restricted airspace.

The collision between an American Airlines Group Inc. regional jet and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan airport in Washington left no survivors on board the two aircraft, authorities said,

First responders have recovered the bodies of 27 passengers from the American Airlines jet that collided with the helicopter.

The midair collision over the Potomac River on Wednesday brings back chilling memories of another tragedy in the same waters more than four decades ago—when Air Florida Flight 90, bound for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport,

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom on Thursday morning expressed his condolences to the family and loved ones of those aboard a flight that collided with a military helicopter Wednesday night.

Aviation experts have warned for years about near collisions at airports around the US, citing air traffic control shortages and airspace congestion.

Wednesday night’s crash of an American Airlines commuter plane in Washington could be one of the worst disasters for the Fort Worth-based airline in more than two decades.

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

American Airlines Flight 5342 crashed into a military helicopter and plunged into the Potomac River in Washington DC on Wednesday night