The black boxes recovered from the regional jet and the Black Hawk helicopter may provide vital information. The recovery was paused for the night.

This is a whole-of-government effort." The flight data recorders, often called "black boxes," have not been recovered yet, Homendy said.Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Two black boxes have been recovered from the jet involved in the D.C. plane crash. NBC News’ Jay Blackman reports on the possible analysis NTSB will go through once they get the boxes.