Bill Pearce, a commercial pilot from Maryland who has worked for several major airlines, says flying in and out of Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. is tough for pilots and air traffic control.

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.

An American Airlines regional jet went down in the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after colliding with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, with no survivors expected.

An American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter carrying three soldiers near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C., Wednesday night.

Lawmakers have expressed concerns about congestion in at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport amid a constricted space.

We’ve been pretty plain about our [safety] concerns, but it isn’t a good time to speculate right now,’ Senator Tim Kaine said Thursday

The plan to add five incoming and five outgoing flights was included in the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act last year.

While officials have not said how many people died or were injured, the crash has already taken an emotional toll on the local communities.

Black box' cockpit voice and flight recordings recovered from wreckage - Officials say there are no survivors among the 67 passengers on the aircrafts that collided above Washington, D.C.

They were among 60 travellers and four crew members on board the commercial flight that collided with a Black Hawk helicopter.

As many as 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard American Eagle Flight 5342, and the Black Hawk helicopter was carrying three soldiers. There were no survivors.