Several Maryland agencies sprung into action late Wednesday to assist rescue and recovery efforts after an American Eagle Flight 5342 collided midair with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River.

A large search-and-rescue operation turned into a recovery mission after officials said all 64 people aboard the airliner, and three service members in the helicopter, died in the accident that occurred at 8:48 p.m. on Wednesday.The Anne Arundel County Fire Department sent three watercraft, two rescue boats and a dive boat, all trailered over land to the scene. The dive boat is a 26-foot Munson landing craft style with a center console.

“It is an excellent platform to deliver divers to the scene and as a dive platform,” said Captain Michael J. Mayo, of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department’s Special Operations Marine Division.

The Anne Arundel fire boats are currently docked at Sandy Point and will remain there in service for calls in and around the county.

These boats also assisted with the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in March 2024 where six highway construction workers were killed when a 984-foot container ship lost power before hitting the structure and plunging into the Patapsco River

The Baltimore Police Department’s Underwater Recovery & Dive Teams responded to the crash. Those team members also assisted in the Key Bridge accident.

A Maryland Natural Resources Police responded with multiple patrol vessels and several specialized teams, including aviation and dive units, which remained on the scene Thursday to assist with recovery efforts in cooperation with local, state, and federal agencies.

Maryland’s State Police and the Coast Guard were asked to help with the recovery efforts by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who also contacted Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.

“Baltimore stands with [Bowser] and the entire DMV community,” Scott said on social media. “We extend our deepest condolences to all affected by this tragedy. Thank you to the first responders for their dedication, [Baltimore police], and the [Baltimore fire department] for their invaluable support”.”

“The Maryland State Police Special Operations Division to include the Underwater Recovery Team is providing assistance to our law enforcement partners throughout the search and recovery operations,” a state police spokesperson told The Baltimore Sun.

The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Special Operation Division’s Marine Unit, Dive Unit and Aviation Section were also on the scene at the Potomac River.

“We stand ready to assist as long as necessary,” the department said on social media.

The downed plane was bound for Reagan National from Wichita, Kansas. PSA Airlines operated the flight for American Eagle, American Airlines’ line of regional feeder flights. The accident occurred in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over three miles south of the White House and the Capitol.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash alongside the FAA.

The Associated Press contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich.