The soldiers on the helicopter that collided with an American Airlines jet on Wednesday night were from the 12th Combat Aviation Battalion based in Virginia.

Dozens of people are dead after a regional jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night over Washington, D.C., officials said, the nation's first major commercial airline crash since 2009.

Sixty passengers and four crew members from the plane and three Black Hawk helicopter personnel are feared dead as a recovery mission is underway.