Newly sworn-in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the fatal crash between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night was “absolutely” preventable.
The collision occurred around 8:48 p.m. Eastern time outside Washington, D.C. Both aircraft collided midair and crashed into the cold Potomac River. Authorities said they expect no survivors, with at least 28 bodies already recovered.
“To back up what the president said, from what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” Duffy said during a Thursday morning press conference, responding to a question about President Donald Trump’s late-night comments on the crash.
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
On Truth Social, the president said the collision “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,” Trump wrote. “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,” he added. “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
Duffy said during the press conference that the military helicopter saw the passenger plane it eventually collided with. He also told reporters that the flight patterns and communication between aircraft were “standard.”
“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 airline flight,” Duffy said, according to the New York Post. “There was communication between the aircraft and the tower.”
Duffy, sworn in as transportation secretary on Tuesday, told the press, “We will not rest until we have answers for the families and for the flying public. You should be assured that when you fly you are safe.”
In reaction to the tragedy, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said that he was “absolutely heartbroken” and that “we are all hurting incredibly,” The Daily Wire reported. Isom added that it looked like the helicopter appeared to have veered into the flight path of an American Eagle regional jet, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas. Sixty passengers and four crew members are believed to have been on board the commercial flight. Three service members were on the military helicopter.
Related: Authorities Believe There Are No Survivors After American Airlines Crash With Army Helicopter
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Newly sworn-in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the fatal crash between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night was “absolutely” preventable.
The collision occurred around 8:48 p.m. Eastern time outside Washington, D.C. Both aircraft collided midair and crashed into the cold Potomac River. Authorities said they expect no survivors, with at least 28 bodies already recovered.
“To back up what the president said, from what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” Duffy said during a Thursday morning press conference, responding to a question about President Donald Trump’s late-night comments on the crash.
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
On Truth Social, the president said the collision “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,” Trump wrote. “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,” he added. “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
Duffy said during the press conference that the military helicopter saw the passenger plane it eventually collided with. He also told reporters that the flight patterns and communication between aircraft were “standard.”
“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 airline flight,” Duffy said, according to the New York Post. “There was communication between the aircraft and the tower.”
Duffy, sworn in as transportation secretary on Tuesday, told the press, “We will not rest until we have answers for the families and for the flying public. You should be assured that when you fly you are safe.”
In reaction to the tragedy, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said that he was “absolutely heartbroken” and that “we are all hurting incredibly,” The Daily Wire reported. Isom added that it looked like the helicopter appeared to have veered into the flight path of an American Eagle regional jet, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas. Sixty passengers and four crew members are believed to have been on board the commercial flight. Three service members were on the military helicopter.
Related: Authorities Believe There Are No Survivors After American Airlines Crash With Army Helicopter
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