Questions are swirling around the midair collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter Wednesday night, with President Donald Trump saying Thursday the tragedy was preventable.
A cause of the crash has not been determined, according to leaders of the District of Columbia, the Transportation Department, Defense Department and DC Fire and EMS who spoke in multiple places before noon. Sixty-four, including four crew members, were aboard the commercial airliner and three were on the helicopter.
All are presumed dead.
Shortly before 9 p.m. local time, American Airlines flight 5342, originating out of Wichita, Kan., “collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport,” according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Thursday morning, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly confirmed response was in recovery and no survivors are expected to be found. He said the bodies of 27 from the commercial airliner and one from the helicopter had been recovered.
At a press conference in Reagan National Airport, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy emphasized that the plane and helicopter followed standard flight plans.
“The helicopter was aware there was a plane in the area,” Duffy said in response to questions concerning communications between the air traffic control tower and the two aircraft.
“What happened yesterday shouldn’t have happened,” Duffy said. “It should not have happened.”
He said there’ll be no excuses, no “pass the buck,” in determining the cause of the crash.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed the helicopter flight was an “annual proficiency training flight” with a “fairly experienced crew.” He said the Department of Defense is actively investigating the collision.
Trump’s press conference at the White House, just 14 hours after the fatality, swung into accusations tied to his political actions in the first 10 days of his second term. He accused former DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg of running the Department of Transportation “into the ground with his diversity,” saying standards were lowered.
On social media, Buttigieg responded, “Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch.”
Buffalo, N.Y., in 2009 was the site of the last fatal crash involving a commercial airliner in the United States.
Investigation officials, as of early afternoon Thursday, have given no credence to the president’s claim. And Trump himself also acknowledged he couldn’t say whether the prior administration’s diversity policy was to blame for the collision.
Policies in federal government related to diversity, equity and inclusion have been revoked by the president.
Trump, like many, questioned why the two aircraft were flying at the same altitude. His opinion was the helicopter “was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Data and transmissions of each aircraft are part of the probe. National Transportation Safety Board investigations typically run 12 to 24 months before a final report; often, the suspected cause or preliminary reason is shared sooner.
The board reacts with an initial notification and decision to investigate; on-site fact gathering; analysis of facts and determination of probable cause; acceptance of a final report; and advocating for the acceptance of safety recommendations arising from the investigation.
