A deadly collision between a commercial jet and an Army helicopter is bringing renewed focus on the federal agency charged with investigating aviation disasters

An American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter collided Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Police boats have returned to the Potomac River as part of the recovery and investigation after the United States’ deadliest aviation disaster in almost a quarter century

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent federal agency tasked with examining serious transport-related accidents.

Fatal crashes like the one that happened near Washington on Wednesday are increasingly rare because of modern aviation safety procedures.

Air crash investigations can take months, and federal investigators told reporters they would not speculate on the cause.

An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.

Authorities have switched to a recovery mission in the Potomac River following a midair collision between an American Eagle flight and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington,

Everyone aboard an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members that collided with an Army helicopter was feared dead in what was likely to be the worst U.S. aviation disaster in almost a quarter century,

Sixty passengers, four crew, and three US Army personnel are believed to be dead after the collision 400ft over the Potomac River in Washington DC.

Wednesday's crash involving an American Airlines flight and Black Hawk helicopter marked the first commercial crash on U.S. soil in more than 15 years.

Air crash investigations can take months, and federal investigators told reporters they would not speculate on the cause.