The mid-air collision between the American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter near Washington DC claimed the lives of 67 people, including talented young figure skaters

A fter an American Airlines small eagle plane coming from Wichita, Kansas collided with a military helicopter midair before crashing into the Potomac River near D.C.'s Reagan Nati

We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital.

Officials say the conditions of the Potomac River are complicating recovery efforts of the bodies of the 67 presumed dead in a mid-air collision between American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita and a military Black Hawk helicopter.

Residents and visitors were told to not touch or remove debris from the Potomac River, as the investigation into the midair D.C. plane crash remains ongoing.

Officials are set to hold a press conference at 7:30 a.m. during which more information about survivors and fatalities will be released.

An NTSB-led investigation is in full swing to identify factors that led to the Jan. 29 midair collision between an American Eagle Bombardier CRJ-700 operated by PSA Airlines on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter.

Officials indicated a number of people died after an American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter Wednesday night, causing both to crash into

Multiple 911 callers reported the crash near the river just before 8:55 p.m., according to the Metropolitan Police Department and the District of Columbia Fire and EMS.

The catastrophe immediately raised questions about the close proximity in which helicopters and jetliners soar over the busy skies of the nation’s capital.

The mid-air collision between the American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter near Washington DC claimed the lives of 67 people, including talented young figure skaters

Wednesday’s fatal collision and two other incidents dramatically illustrate the challenges pilots and air traffic controllers face in the complex, security-sensitive skies above the nation’s capital.