The American Airlines regional jet was on the final approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., when it collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter shortly before 9 p.m.

"Obviously, that will be fluid," John Potter, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said at a press conference early Thursday morning.Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

There are confirmed fatalities from the collision of American Airlines Flight 5342 and the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River. Several bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River crash site, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the ongoing operation.