State and local leaders are expressing thoughts and prayers following the collision of an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter Wednesday night, which caused both to crash into the

WASHINGTON — An American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter before crashing into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday night. Local leaders took to social media to react and show their support for the people on the aircrafts, their loved ones, and the crews searching for any survivors.

An American Airlines plane and a U.S. Army helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River, according to officials.

Six people associated with Zeghibe’s club in Norwood, Massachusetts, were killed in the plane crash: skater Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine, skater Jinna Han and her mother, Jin, and coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, a married couple who were world champion pairs figure skaters from Russia in the 1990s.

On Thursday, crews removed all large major components of the American Airlines jet and military Black Hawk helicopter, which collided in a deadly incident near Reagan National Airport last week.