Washington: Confirming that there are no survivors in the deadly air collision near Washington on January 30, US President Donald Trump said that the accident "should have been prevented". In his official briefing after the air crash near Reagan Washington National Airport, he questioned why the authorities failed to inform the helicopter to divert its route.
All 64 people aboard the American Airlines Flight 5342 that collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter were feared dead in what was likely to be the worst US aviation disaster in almost a quarter century, officials said. So far, 28 bodies have been pulled out of the icy waters of the Potomac River into which both aircraft crashed.
As he requested a moment of silence to honor the victims, the President said he was appointing an acting Federal Aviation Administration administrator, Chris Rocheleau.
Earlier, taking to his social media platform 'Truth Social', Trump posted, "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. Not good," he wrote.
"What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!" Trump said in another post.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the collision occurred around 9 pm local time on January 29. All takeoffs and landings at the airport were halted while emergency teams worked at the crash site.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon and the Army had launched an immediate investigation into the crash. Calling the incident "absolutely tragic," he said that search and rescue efforts were still ongoing and offered prayers for the victims and their families.
