RICHMOND, Va. ( WWBT /Gray News) - A retired pilot gave a first-hand view of what it’s like to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Chuck Smith says he has made that approach and landing hundreds of times in his career. He shared a video showing what it looks like to fly near Washington, D.C., and over the Potomac River.

As the American Eagle Flight 5342, a CRJ jet, approached the helicopter, the tower controller asked the helicopter pilot if he had the CRJ in sight. The helicopter pilot cannot be heard responding to the question before the two aircraft collided.

Twenty-seven bodies had been recovered from the downed plane, a Bombardier CRJ700 operated by PSA Airlines, and one had been recovered from the helicopter, a Sikorsky H-60, said the D.C. Fire and EMS Chief.

A passenger jet collided with a helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday evening, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River

The Reagan National Airport closed after a helicopter and another aircraft collided nearby. D.C. officials say a small aircraft was reported down in the Potomac River.