The airline tragedy that occurred near, Washington D.C., between a passenger plane and an Army helicopter on Wednesday recalled two other airplane tragedies that occurred decades ago.

Sixty-seven people are presumed dead after a passenger plane on approach to Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC, collided Wednesday night with a US Army helicopter midair, sending both aircraft into the Potomac River below,

Ari Schulman told NBC Washington that he saw the plane crash while he was driving on the George Washington Parkway, which runs alongside the airport. He said the plane's approach looked normal, until he saw it bank hard to the right, with "streams of sparks" running underneath, illuminating its belly.