Welcome to meet the press now.

I'm Kristen Welker here in Washington on a very somber day here, where recovery operations are underway,

as we're learning more about that deadly and tragic mid-air collision

last night when a passenger jet and military helicopter collided, killing everyone on board,

both aircrafts according to authorities.

Here's what we know so far.

Shortly before 9 p.m. last night, an Army Blackhawk helicopter on a training mission

and an American Eagle flight inbound from

Wichita, Kansas landed at Reagan National Airport, collided over the Potomac River.

There were 60 passengers and four crew on the flight and three people aboard the helicopter.

Now, in this video, which is disturbing, you can see the moment of impact from a camera on the Kennedy Center facing the river.

And here is the audio from the air traffic control tower just shortly after the collision.

Crash, crash, crash, this is alert three.

Crash, crash, crash, this alert three.

We're looking for a aircraft versus a helicopter in the Potomac in the area of Reagan National.

Now, late this afternoon, a source telling NBC news that according to a preliminary FAA report,

staffing in the control tower at Reagan National Airport at the time of the crash was

slimmer than usual, and that one air traffic controller was controlling both airplanes

and helicopters, which is acceptable under FAA guidelines. Right now, rescue crews are at work

locating the two aircraft in the water and still pulling bodies from the wreckage.

While we don't know the identities of all of the passengers at this time, members of the U.S. figure skating community

have confirmed that a group of American skaters, coaches, and family members who had been

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