The National Transportation Safety Board has interviewed the air-traffic controller who was working at the time of the midair collision, board member Todd Inman said, adding that the interviews have been ongoing throughout the day.

On a fall afternoon, a Boeing passenger jet had just been cleared for takeoff at Reagan National Airport when the pilot saw a Bell helicopter lift off in a direction that would cross the plane’s path. The airplane pilot aborted the takeoff, overrunning the runway before coming to a stop on a grassy strip just 130 feet from the Potomac River.

The Army identifiies two soldiers aboard the Black Hawk that collided midair with American Airlines plane on Wednesday. Third soldier's ID being held.