Airline pilots flying into Washington, D.C., have reported nearly a dozen near misses over the years that were scarily similar to this week's midair collision that killed 67 people.

U.S. commercial pilot Rick Redfern was preparing to land at Reagan Washington National Airport about a decade ago when he spotted a bright red Coast Guard helicopter hovering about 50 feet (15 m) above the Potomac River.

In the three years before the deadly collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight near Reagan National Airport, at least two other pilots reported near-misses with helicopters while landing at the airport,

The military helicopter that collided with an American Airlines flight this week was conducting training to prepare for a catastrophe or attack on the US.

Mapped: How American Airlines plane collided with Black Hawk army helicopter near Washington DC airport - The two ‘black boxes’ have been recovered from the wreckage, with a cockpit voice recorder and