Before the additional flights were approved, a senator warned that the increase could heighten the risk of collisions.

Officials believe there are no survivors after a passenger plane on approach to Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC, collided Wednesday night with a US Army helicopter midair, sending both aircraft into the Potomac River below,

Black box' recorder recovered from jet which collided with helicopter killing 67 - Officials say there are no survivors among the 67 passengers on the aircrafts that collided above Washington, D.C.

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

The runway American Eagle Flight 5342 was supposed to land on will be closed until Feb. 7, according to a memo sent to pilots on Thursday.

Factfinder 12 spoke with a pilot who regularly flies in and out of Reagan National, also called DCA and two aviation attorneys. They all cautioned that it was too early to draw conclusions but provided details on insights and expertise.

The airspace around Washington, D.C., is congested and complex — a combination aviation experts have long worried could lead to catastrophe.

Last year, senators from Virginia and Maryland sounded the alarm over congestion in the skies above Washington.

Several figure skaters, coaches and family members were on board the flight that crashed Wednesday night in D.C.

Authorities provide an update to the collision between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter, saying they expect there to be no survivors and the mission is transitioning from a rescue to a recovery operation.

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.