Important Takeaways:

• Investigators have recovered the black boxes of the passenger jet and Army helicopter involved in a collision near Reagan National Airport outside D.C. — the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. in more than 20 years.
• The big picture: The American Airlines passenger jet with 64 people on board and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers collided on Wednesday night, sending both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River. There are no known survivors.
• The rescue mission shifted to a recovery operation early Thursday, but at least a dozen people were still missing by day’s end. Investigators are working to determine the exact cause of the crash.
• The airport resumed flight operations Thursday morning, but dozens of flights have been delayed or cancelled since. Passengers were advised to check with their airlines for specific flight information.
• Reagan National Airport has the country’s busiest runway — which has long caused concerns about overcrowding at the airport and understaffing among air traffic controllers, Axios D.C.’s Mimi Montgomery reports.
• Situation report: The National Transportation Safety Board intends to have a preliminary report on the crash within 30 days, board member Todd Inman said during a briefing Thursday afternoon.
• “We do not know enough facts to be able to rule in or out human factor, mechanical factors,” Inman said.
• Visibility was good at the time of the crash, with winds blowing out of the northwest. An advisory for high winds had expired earlier in the evening.
• Both the jet and the helicopter were following “standard flight patterns,” Duffy told reporters.
• Hegseth noted the helicopter was manned by a “fairly experienced crew” that was appropriately equipped with night vision goggles.
• It’s also not unusual to see Black Hawks flying low along the Potomac. This is some of America’s busiest airspaces due to the presence of both military and commercial aircraft.
• What remains unclear is why the helicopter did not divert from its path and collided with the jet as it made its final descent.

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