During a Tuesday press conference, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy called the flight patterns around DCA "an intolerable risk," citing the close proximity in which helicopters and commercial planes operate.

Several major U.S. airlines dialed back their quarterly financial expectations as the industry contends with softer demand from economic uncertainty and other factors.

The Federal Aviation Administration says an American Airlines plane arriving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport discontinued its landing, performing a go-around to avoid getting too close to another aircraft departing from the same runway.