By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Army unit whose helicopter was involved in the overnight collision with a passenger jet near Washington has been placed on an operational pause, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday, meaning helicopters from that unit will not be flying for the time being.
A U.S. Army BlackHawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger jet on Wednesday night near Reagan Washington National Airport, with both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River. The military helicopter was on a training flight, but it is unclear what caused the crash. Authorities have said there were no survivors.
One of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said helicopters from the 12 Aviation Battalion, based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, would be temporarily grounded. It is not clear how long the pause would last.
Other helicopters, like those from the National Guard, will still be allowed to help in recovery efforts, the official added.
Military helicopters are a common sight around the U.S. capital region that is home to numerous military bases. It is not uncommon for the military to order pauses after accidents or crashes.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama ad Will Dunham)
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