For many, the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, like the one involved in the Wednesday collision over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., is familiar for one reason: the 2001 movie "Black Hawk Down ," based on the 1993 shooting down of U.S. Black Hawk helicopters during the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia.

The FAA and NTSB have launched an investigation into how an American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River.

More information about the passenger jet collision with the Army helicopter has come into the newsroom.

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members when it collided with Black Hawk Army helicopter built by Connecticut's Sikorsky.

A Black Hawk helicopter can transport up to "12 fully equipped, seated troops in combat," according to Lockheed Martin, the weapons company that builds the helicopter. There are about 5,000 of these helicopters in use by the United States Military.

Military spokesman Ron McLendon II said the Army is joining an investigation into the crash headed by the National Transportation Security Board.

The crew of a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk that fatally struck a commercial airliner was assigned to a Virginia-based VIP transport unit and was performing an annual night proficiency flight at the time of the incident.

Lights from emergency vehicles are seen at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, after an air crash near the Potomac River on Jan. 29, 2025. "I am on site at the FAA HQ and closely monitoring the situation," Duffy wrote. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said she is "actively" in contact with authorities regarding the crash.

The Army helicopter and regional American Airlines jet that collided over Washington are both workhorse aircraft that operate around the world on a daily basis. There were 60 passengers and four crew members on the jet,

Authorities were searching for survivors after a plane with 64 people aboard crashed into an Army helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport.

Aviation experts are shedding light on the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after one collided with American Airlines Flight 5342, leaving all on board presumed dead. Officials said the Black Hawk, a four-blade,