Crash involving an American Airlines regional jet occurred in a high-risk location feared by safety officials—a crowded airport.

An aviation attorney told Fox News Digital he expects the families of the victims of Wednesday's midair collision will file lawsuits in the coming days.

While landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday shortly before 9 p.m., American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River.

The last major collision of a commercial U.S. airline dates back to 2009, when a Colgan Air incident left 50 dead near Buffalo, New York. Federal regulators tightened safety requirements following the crash, including bolstering aircraft carrier inspection requirements and pilot training hours.

An American Airlines regional jet collided with a military helicopter as it was approaching Reagan National Airport.

Aviation experts have warned for years about near collisions at airports around the US, citing air traffic control shortages and airspace congestion.

Wednesday’s fatal crash of a civilian plane and military helicopter at Reagan National Airport may reflect rising stresses on air-safety systems.

First responders have recovered the bodies of 27 passengers from the American Airlines jet that collided with the helicopter.

The crash is the deadliest in the country since 2009. On Feb. 12 of that year, Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed shortly before its scheduled landing at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. 49 passengers and a person inside the home the plane landed on were killed.

Fatal crashes like the one that happened near Washington on Wednesday are increasingly rare because of modern aviation safety procedures.

A 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 large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.