Photo: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images News / Getty Images
President Donald Trump expressed his belief that the midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter "looks like it should have been prevented."
"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The tragic incident occurred near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday (January 29) and resulted in no survivors among the 67 people on board both aircraft.
The collision involved American Airlines Flight 5342, which was approaching the airport from Wichita, Kansas, and a Black Hawk helicopter on a training mission. The crash claimed the lives of 64 passengers and crew members on the jet and three soldiers on the helicopter. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the cause of the accident.
The NTSB is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to analyze the wreckage and gather information to determine the cause of the collision.
President Trump recently signed an executive order aimed at enhancing aviation safety. The order calls for hiring more FAA employees and ending certain hiring practices to expedite the process. The FAA has been working to address a shortage of air traffic controllers, which has been a concern for lawmakers regarding airspace congestion at Reagan National Airport.