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,

Several federal and state investigations have been launched after an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and fell into the Potomac River,

Police boats have returned to the Potomac River as part of the recovery and investigation after the United States’ deadliest aviation disaster in almost a quarter century. Law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that more than 40 bodies have been pulled from the river as the massive recovery effort continues Friday.

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

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.

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.

An aircraft said to be an American Airlines regional jet went down near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night following a crash with a

On Tuesday night, just 24 hours before a deadly collision between a military helicopter and a regional jet at Reagan National Airport, a different passenger jet coming in for a landing at the airport alerted the tower it had to abort. The reason: risk of possible collision with a helicopter.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.

A dramatic plane crash in frigid temperatures. And a search and rescue that saved lives on the same partially frozen Potomac River. Almost 43 years ago to the day, tragedy struck when a commercial jet − Air Florida Flight 90 − plunged into icy waters shortly after an afternoon takeoff from the same airport where a passenger jet with 64 people aboard collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night.

The science behind the temperatures? Water transfers heat away from the body 25 times faster than air, according to Johnson. On Wednesday night, the Potomac River water temperature, specifically the body of water around Hanes Point and Reagan National Airport, was 35 degrees Fahrenheit.