The staffing at the air control tower at Reagan National Airport was "not normal" when an American Airlines plane and Army helicopter collided on Wednesday night, a report shows.

An airspace cluttered with passenger planes and military aircraft. A history of near-crashes. And a growing shortage of air traffic controllers available to manage it all. Some experts, politicians and airport managers have been warning for years of the risks posed by the crowded airspace and volume of flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

An American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter outside Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. Wednesday evening. Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter and a massive search and rescue operation is now unfolding in the Potomac River.

The crash near Reagan National Airport has renewed questions about the airport's flight load, considering its small size, among other issues.

DCA is one of the most demanding airports in the world. It also has what’s known as ‘helicopter alley’ with hundreds of police, military, news and rescue helicopters criss-crossing

Airport preferred by Washington lawmakers and lobbyists lies in some of the most congested airspace in the country.

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

An airplane collided with a helicopter while trying to land at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, officials said.

Authorities are investigating an apparent crash involving a regional jetliner and a helicopter

WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Multiple Texas representatives have released statements Wednesday night after a plane collided with a military helicopter, causing it to crash near the Ronald Reagan Washington National airport. Ronald Reagan Washington National airport has closed all runways, and stopped air traffic in the area.

CBS News Texas reporter Marvin Hurst provides an update on the accident involving a passenger jet and helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The flight had 60 passengers and four crew members on board.