The homebuilt airplane that crashed into a California warehouse earlier this month appears to have had a door ajar while in flight, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.

A deadly midair collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter near the nation's capital is bringing renewed focus on the federal agency charged with investigating aviation disaster

An American Airlines passenger jet and a military helicopter collided on Wednesday night, as the jet was landing at Reagan Washington National Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Robert Sumwalt is the former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board. He joined CBS News to discuss Wednesday's midair collision between an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter and the ensuing investigation.

A witness saw the left main cabin door open during flight, and an examination of the door showed the interior handle was not in the locked position.

Officers tried to get into the vehicle to save the driver, but, 'due to the intensity of the flames and heat, they were unable to rescue the occupant,' the department said.

The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed to USA TODAY that investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the passenger airplane that collided in midair with an Army helicopter, leaving 67 people dead near Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Search and rescue teams work near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., January 31, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Watch as the National Transportation Safety Board hosts a media briefing on its investigation into Wednesday’s mid-air collision near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The deadly collision of an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter late Jan. 29 in Washington, D.C., has reignited longstanding congestion concerns at overcrowded Reagan National Airport.

An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a

Dispatch reports say the plane crashed near the 7200 block of Calvert Street, where there are rowhomes. The reports said there were cars on fire.