The collision between a passenger flight and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29 marks the first fatal disaster involving a U.S. commercial airliner in 16 years.

Video footage of the incident shows the aircraft flying at a low altitude, before an explosion happened at the moment of impact. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

The Bombardier and Black Hawk helicopter accident echoes another equally tragic incident that occurred in 1982. Of the 84 ...