Man Who Lost Family in D.C. Plane Crash Breaks Down Recounting Tragedy

Andy Beyer is mourning the loss of his wife Justyna and daughter Brielle following the tragic aircraft catastrophe in Washington, D.C. last week ... and revealing the harrowing moment he learned the truth about their demise.

The grieving husband and father appeared on CNN Monday evening, where he couldn't hide his heartbreak while recounting to host Kaitlan Collins how he realized his loved ones were no longer alive.

Andy said he and his son were awaiting Justyna and Brielle's return from Wichita, Kansas, where Brielle had participated in the National Development Camp for U.S. Figure Skating.

Andy said he and his son often picked up his wife and daughter from these trips ... and they were patiently waiting at a nearby airport parking lot for the plane to land.

Initially, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the evening ... Andy said he had texted with Justyna and Brielle "right before they were supposed to land."

But, when the flight tracker said "landed" and there was no word from his family ... Andy knew something wasn't right -- especially since "the texts went from blue to green."

Andy recalled fire trucks whizzing by, which prompted him to reach out to someone for details ... not realizing it'd be the worst news possible.

Andy was then forced to tell his young son.

He said ... "We had a really long cry. He let out this, like, 'Nooo.' It really hurt. And that's how we found out, right before anything was really official, but we already knew."

While the grief is unimaginable, Andy said he is determined to share Justyna and Brielle's story with the world.

The mother and daughter were among the 67 people who died when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet over the Potomac River Wednesday night ... there were no survivors.