The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is slated to provide an update Thursday afternoon on the investigation into the recent fatal midair aircraft collision near Reagan Washington

Reagan airport was at the center of a fierce safety debate last year. Lawmakers approved more flights anyway - ‘We’ve been pretty plain about our [safety] concerns, but it isn’t a good time to speculate right now,

WASHINGTON — Following a devastating midair collision between a commercial airplane and military helicopter that killed 67 people near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, President Donald Trump has named Chris Rocheleau as the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said Thursday at a press conference that “we look at facts on our investigation and that will take some time.”

The midair collision at Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night has presented Sean Duffy with a major crisis just hours after he was sworn in as secretary of transportation.

A preliminary safety report from the Federal Aviation Administration reportedly found that air traffic control staffing was abnormally low at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 29, according to The New York Times, which obtained a copy of the report.

A commercial flight hit a military helicopter at Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National Airport Wednesday night. The airport has a history of crashes and near-misses going back decades.

A passenger jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter midair as the flight was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC, Wednesday night, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

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

Divers are expected to return to the Potomac River as part of the recovery and investigation after the United States’ deadliest aviation disaster in almost a quarter century