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.

The impact of a plane crash near the nation’s capital was obvious to some passengers who arrived at KCI Thursday from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) Thursday.

Lawmakers have an interest in boosting direct flights to their states because Reagan is closer to downtown than Dulles.

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

Ari Schulman told NBC Washington that he saw the plane crash while driving on the George Washington Parkway, which runs along the airport. He said the plane's approach looked normal, until he saw the aircraft bank hard to the right, with "streams of sparks" running underneath, illuminating its belly.

An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a regional American Airlines flight that was on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night.

Raza was a Washington, DC-based consultant who travelled to Wichita twice a month to work on a turnaround project for a hospital there, her father-in-law said

A regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, crashed into a Black Hawk while on approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Storyline: Passengers at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport said they were shocked by the midair collision of a passenger plane and helicopter near the airport Wednesday night, and "couldn't help having a little fear in the back of mind.

"There is confirmation regarding another, a fourth person who could hold a Russian passport, this information is currently being verified," Maria Zakharova added

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.