If changes aren't made, that near-miss becomes a mid-air collision,” one aviation safety expert said. “Unfortunately, that's what we had last night.”

DCA is one of the most demanding airports in the world. It also has what’s known as ‘helicopter alley’ with hundreds of police, military, news and rescue helicopters criss-crossing

The airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has long been problematic due to heavy military and commercial flight activity in the nation’s capital, according to industry insiders.

More than 60 people were killed when an American Airlines regional passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday and crashed into the frigid Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

There is at least one casualty after a helicopter crash at a major airport tonight. All runways have been shutdown and all departures and landings have been halted at the DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

RICHMOND, Va. ( WWBT /Gray News) - A retired pilot gave a first-hand view of what it’s like to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Chuck Smith says he has made that approach and landing hundreds of times in his career. He shared a video showing what it looks like to fly near Washington, D.C., and over the Potomac River.

The Federal Aviation Administration in a statement said American Airlines Flight 5342, departing from Wichita, Kansas to Washington, collided around 9 p.m. midair while approaching the runway with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter.

The CRJ700 is a regional jet frequently used on short- to medium-haul flights. Reagan airport handles about 1,200 flights a day, almost all of which are limited to less than 1,300 miles because of the airport’s perimeter rule.

Authorities have not pinpointed a reason for the collision, which happened as the regional jet was trying to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Human-monitored ATC, while effective in many ways, is increasingly becoming a bottleneck in ensuring safe and efficient air travel, especially in complex, high-security airspaces

Air traffic controller 'left shift early' before American Airlines disaster - None of the 67 passengers and crew are believed to have survived, as investigators work on ‘black boxes’ found in the ruin