An American Airlines ( AAL ) passenger plane collided in midair with a military helicopter as it approached Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, breaking into three parts and landing in the Potomac River.

There are no survivors expected among the 64 passengers and crew on the airplane and three soldiers aboard the helicopter, D.C. fire and EMS department chief John Donnelly told reporters on Thursday.

Speaking at the same press conference, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the airline was "heartbroken" by the incident .

"A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time," the FAA said in a statement late Wednesday. The Bombardier jet has not been known to have any malfunctions and is commonly used for short regional flights .

"PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas. The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation." US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a post on X that the Department of Defense is also launching an investigation into the cause of the crash.

Donnelly told reporters that as of Thursday morning, the rescue operation had transitioned to a recovery operation.

Flight 5342, operated by American's regional unit American Eagle, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, the carrier said in a statement. The plane was carrying figure skaters, their coaches, and family members, multiple outlets reported , citing the US governing body for the sport.

Speaking at a press briefing Thursday morning, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the collision "absolutely" preventable.

"[The] flight paths that were being flown from the military and from American [were] not unusual," Duffy added.

The accident was the first commercial airplane collision since 2009 when a Colgan Air flight crashed on landing near Buffalo, N.Y., killing 50 people. The Wednesday collision was the deadliest plane crash since November 2001, when an American Airlines jet crashed in Charlotte, N.C., after takeoff.

Hegseth said in a video on X that the members of the military on board the helicopter, part of the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir, were " a fairly experienced crew." Hegseth said the crew members were wearing night vision goggles while " doing a required annual night evaluation" as part of their training.

This is breaking news. More to come.