A helicopter collided with a passenger plane that was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night.

CCTV shows the moment of impact when the two aircraft burst into a fireball followed by a cloud of smoke. Drivers also captured the crash on dashcam cameras.

Police and Coast Guard helicopters later were searching the Potomac River for survivors.

The plane was reportedly a Bombardier CRJ-700 used by American Eagle, a regional brand of American Airlines, with around 60 people onboard.

Records show that Flight 5342, being operated by PSA Airlines, was flying from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Virginia, United States, five miles from Washington, D.C.

It was on approach to the runway when the helicopter approached from the starboard side and smashed into the aircraft.

The White House confirmed the commercial airliner collided with a military helicopter while on approach to Reagan National Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration said the helicopter was a Black Hawk.

The FAA said an investigation has been launched. All take-offs and landings from the airport near Washington have been halted.

Ronald Reagan National Airport is in the centre of the nation's capital, near major federal institutions including the White House and Congress. It is also across the river from The Pentagon, the US Department of Defence, in Arlington, Virginia.