Dozens of people are dead after a regional jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night over Washington, D.C., officials said, the nation's first major commercial airline crash since 2009.

A retired Army helicopter pilot shared insights into what may have caused Wednesday’s deadly mid-air collision over the Potomac River in Washington, DC.

A source told NBC News that the staffing at Reagan National Airport last night was "not normal" for that amount of traffic and time of day. Former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt and retired Lt. Colonel Darin Gaub join Katy Tur to share their expertise amid the deadly crash.

The crew of the Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the deadly collision with a jetliner had thousands of hours of flight experience.

The helicopter involved in the fatal midair collision on Wednesday night may have flown off its approved path, The New York Times reports.

He indicated 27 bodies had been recovered from the airplane, and one from the helicopter.

A Noxubee County native was among those aboard a Black Hawk helicopter that collided with a regional jet Wednesday in Washington, D.C., reports say.