The number of people believed to have tragically lost their lives in the deadliest U.S. air crash in recent years is 67. Their families are desperately seeking answers, hoping to understand what led to the mid-air collision between the American Airlines jet and the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter.
The American Airlines Flight 5342, which was approaching to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., was involved in the catastrophic crash. Both aircrafts fell into the Potomac River, where the frigid water conditions are complicating the search efforts.
The investigation into the incident is currently underway, with authorities working diligently to uncover the cause. However, the full inquiry is expected to take several months, as investigators will need to carefully analyze the black boxes and flight data, as well as conduct interviews with air traffic control personnel. At this stage, they have refrained from making any speculative statements.
Nonetheless, the New York Times has reported on a preliminary FAA assessment. According to this report, air traffic controllers in the airspace surrounding Reagan Washington are typically staffed with at least two personnel. Tragically, on the night of the accident, the supervisor allowed one of the controllers to leave, leaving only one controller responsible for managing the air traffic.
The FAA report highlighted that staffing levels at the time were not standard for the volume of air traffic and time of day. Multiple federal agencies had previously raised concerns about the insufficient number of air traffic controllers, citing the long shifts of 10 hours a day, six days a week, which could lead to significant fatigue among controllers.
In response to the crash, President Trump took to social media, expressing his concerns over the incident and questioning whether it could have been avoided. On his Truth Social account, he commented, “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.”
He continued, “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!!!”