It is not yet clear why the American Airlines Bombardier, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, collided with the Army Black Hawk helicopter as it prepared to land at Reagan Washington National Airport.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said both aircraft had been flying standard flight patterns and there had been no breakdown in communication.
But at a White House news conference, Trump accused his predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden of lowering hiring standards and suggested a “big push for diversity” at the Federal Aviation (FAA) may have weakened its capabilities.
“My administration will set the highest possible bar for aviation safety,” Trump told reporters after recently signing executive orders dismantling diversity initiatives in the federal government.
The administration has not provided any proof to back these assertions.
Part of the wreckage is seen as rescue boats search the waters of the Potomac River after a plane on approach to Reagan National Airport crashed into the river near Washington, DC (Photo by Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)That document was released in 2013 and remained online through Trump’s initial 2017-2021 White House term, according to aides to Biden’s transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg.
Trump also said the helicopter pilots “should have seen where they were going”. His remarks contrasted sharply with those of other officials, who said there was no immediate indication why the crash took place.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the helicopter was flown by a “fairly experienced crew” of three soldiers who were wearing night-vision goggles on an annual proficiency training flight. Officials said they were grounding other flights from the Army unit involved in the crash and would reevaluate training exercises in the region.
Photograph of two victims from the crash: athletes Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, and coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkov (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)Photograph of two victims from the crash: coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova (Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder)Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said that the bodies of most of those involved in the collision had been recovered.
Trump and Mandelson, together at last
Read MoreThe last major fatal crash was in 2009, when Conn Air Flight stalled and crashed on approach to Buffo, New York, killing 49 people.
US Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said he had long been concerned about the busy airspace, where civilian and military aircraft must navigate the unique security concerns of the US capital.
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