American Airlines flight carrying 64 collides with Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, DC

• A passenger jet collided midair with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport.
• Four crew and 60 passengers were on board, per a statement from American Airlines.
• The US Army UH-60 Black Hawk was on a training flight, according to a military spokesperson.

A passenger jet carrying 64 people collided midair with a military helicopter Wednesday night during its final approach into the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

In a press conference early Thursday morning, officials gave no updates on any survivors but indicated that many families had lost loved ones.

PSA Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, was impacted in the crash, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. PSA is an American Airlines wholly-owned subsidiary and operates regional flights on behalf of American.

The US Army UH-60 Black Hawk involved in the collision was on a training flight, a spokeswoman for Joint Task Force-National Capital Region confirmed in a statement. The helicopter was carrying three people, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a press conference early Thursday morning.

"We can confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight's incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir during a training flight," Heather Chairez, the JTF-NCR's media chief, said in the statement.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

The PSA aircraft was a Bombardier CRJ700. A live stream taken from the Kennedy Center by EarthCam showed an explosion as the helicopter collided into the plane.

Bowser said at a press conference that "our focus is getting the passengers and crew out of the water" but would not disclose any information on potential fatalities or survivors.

A spokesperson for US Figure Skating, the country's governing body for the sport, told BI that "several members" of the organization were on board the ill-fated American Airlines flight.

"These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas," the spokesperson said.

She added, "We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."

DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said about 300 people are working on the rescue and recovery effort, but said cold and wind are adding challenges.

"The water is dark, it is murky, and that is a very tough condition for them to dive in," he said.

The airport was closed to all aircraft after the crash. Officials said it would remain closed until 11 a.m. ET on Thursday.

In a video posted to the American Airlines website, AA CEO Robert Isom said the airline is "cooperating fully" with the NTSB's investigation of the crash.

"Anything we can do, we are doing, and right now, that means focusing on taking care of all passengers and crew involved, as well as their families," Isom said.

Anthony Brickhouse, a US-based aviation expert, told BI that the crash is tragic, but he is not surprised it happened.

"We've had so many close calls with runway incursions and commercial flights almost colliding, and when something repeats over and over again, we call that a trend," he said. "We've been trending in this direction for two or three years now, and unfortunately, tonight, it happened."

A "runway incursion" means an aircraft is incorrectly situated on a runway. Several planes have nearly collided in recent years in cities like Austin and New York City.

This marks the first complete loss plane crash in the US since 2009 when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed over Buffalo, killing 49 onboard and one person on the ground.

It's the third plane crash since December. An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer plane crashed, likely caused by Russian air defenses. Thirty-eight people died.

A few days later, a Boeing 737 operated by Korean carrier Jeju Airlines crashed during landing in South Korea, killing 179 people. Two people survived. The investigation is still ongoing.

This story is developing, check back for more information.