While driving home, Ari Shulman said a "spray of sparks" in the sky caught his attention as he watched in horror the midair collision unfold.

There were around 60 people aboard the regional passenger plane before it crashed with a helicopter on Wednesday, Jan. 29

More than 30 bodies have been recovered, two sources told NBC News, and a frantic search and rescue mission to find crash victims in the icy Potomac river remains underway.

The collision involved a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet operated by PSA Airlines and a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter.

An aircraft said to be an American Airlines regional jet went down near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night following a crash with a

“A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.

Multiple people are dead after passenger jet collides with a military helicopter midair near Reagan National Airport.

A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet carrying several dozen people collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter. Reagan National Airport has grounded all flights.

Authorities believe there are no survivors in the accident, which happened as a regional passenger jet was attempting to land Wednesday night at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The NTSB says it has recovered data collectors from a jet carrying 64 people after it collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter, likely killing all on board both aircraft.

None are believed to have survived the Wednesday night collision, which caused both aircraft to plunge into the frigid Potomac River.