Trump Blames US Army Black Hawk Helicopter’s Altitude For Deadly Mid-Air Collision- wna24
Washington DC: President Donald Trump has weighed in on the recent mid-air collision near Washington DC, stating that the US Army Black Hawk helicopter was “flying too high” when it crashed into American Airlines Flight 5342, killing all 67 people on board. Trump wrote on his social media handle, “The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200-foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???”
The plane crash accident occurred on Wednesday night when the helicopter, carrying three soldiers, collided with the passenger jet while it was landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The crash happened near a designated route over the Potomac River, where US military helicopters regularly fly with an altitude limit of 200 feet for safety.
Trump also questioned why the helicopter didn’t turn to avoid the crash, saying the tragedy “should have been prevented”. He claimed the Army helicopter should have seen the jet’s “blazing” lights and criticised the actions of air traffic controllers.
“The people in the helicopter should have seen where they were going. What was the helicopter doing on that track? Very sad. But visually, somebody should have been able to see and taken that helicopter out of play, and they should have been at a different height,” Trump said.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged that altitude was a key focus of the ongoing investigation but said no conclusions had been reached. “We’re looking at altitude, and the president was clear about that: someone was at the wrong altitude. The investigation will help us understand that. Was the Black Hawk too high? Was it on course? Right now, we don’t quite know,” Hegseth stated while talking to a foreign media.
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that the Black Hawk was equipped with a flight recorder, though it has not yet been retrieved. In response to the crash, the US Federal Aviation Administration imposed an indefinite restriction on helicopter flights near Reagan National.
Trump also sparked controversy by blaming diversity policies implemented under former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama for the crash, suggesting that hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration had weakened safety standards.
“We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas,” Trump said. “We have to have our smartest people” as air traffic controllers.
When asked if diversity hiring caused the crash, Trump replied, “It just could have been.” Pressed on how he reached that conclusion, he responded, “Because I have common sense.”