The Black Hawk military helicopter involved in Wednesday’s midair collision was training to evacuate government officials in the case of a catastrophic event when it crashed into an American Airlines regional passenger plane – creating a catastrophe of its own.

Sixty-four people aboard a commercial airliner died Wednesday after it collided with a military helicopter midair near Reagan Washington National Airport. Both the American Eagle jet and Army Black Hawk are in the Potomac River.

The Army’s Black Hawk helicopter was performing “doomsday” training when it collided with an American Airlines jet above Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, according to a new report. The helicopter was flying a route that’s part of a military plan to evacuate senior government officials to safety if the U.