WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Three soldiers were aboard the military Blackhawk helicopter which crashed after colliding with a regional passenger plane near Washington's Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, CNN reported.
There were 60 passengers and four crew on board the flight that collided with the military helicopter while landing at the airport, American Airlines said.
A major search and rescue operation is on.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said that the midair collision occurred around 9 p.m. EST (0200 GMT Thursday), involving a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and a military Blackhawk helicopter, and that all takeoffs and landings from the airport have been halted. ■
