The crash of an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night could be the deadliest commercial aviation disaster in the U.S. since 2009.
The American Airlines regional jet, carrying 64 people, collided with the helicopter before plunging into the frigid Potomac River near Reagan National Airport. As of early Thursday, more than 30 bodies had reportedly been recovered.
No survivors are expected to be found.
President Trump and newly sworn-in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy say that the disaster appears like it could have been prevented.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” Trump posted on TRUTH Social. “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. NOT GOOD!!!”
“To back up what the president said, what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable, absolutely,” Duffy told reporters Thursday morning.
“It was, I would say, standard communication, so there was not a breakdown, if that’s your question, in communication between the military helicopter and the American Airlines flight. There was communication between the aircraft and the tower,” Duffy told reporters during a Thursday morning briefing.
He added: “I would say that the helicopter was aware that the plane was in the area.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy:
"To back up what the president said, what I've seen so far, do I think this was preventable, absolutely." pic.twitter.com/bR6gbpl0wM
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) January 30, 2025
In a video statement released late Wednesday, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom confirmed that the CRJ-700 aircraft was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members at the time of the incident.
“This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones,” Isom stated.
“We are actively working with local, state, and federal authorities on emergency response efforts, and the American Airlines care team has been activated to assist our passengers and their families.”
This story is developing…
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