"I have been briefed in detail on the terrible accident that has just occurred at Reagan National Airport. May God bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work our emergency teams are doing. I am closely monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they emerge," said President Donald Trump in a statement. But shortly after, on his Truth Social account, he added more thoughts. "The plane was on a perfect and routine approach line to the airport. The helicopter headed directly towards the plane for a prolonged period of time. It was a CLEAR NIGHT, the plane's lights were on, why didn't the helicopter ascend, descend, 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 seems like it should have been avoided. NOT GOOD!!!" he exclaimed to his followers.
An American Airlines plane, with 60 passengers and 4 crew members, collided on Wednesday night with a Black Hawk military helicopter, carrying three soldiers, while performing the approach maneuver to Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington DC. Authorities have not officially reported the number of fatalities, but have not confirmed any injuries, rescues, or survivors after nearly five hours of operations over the area, just above the Potomac River.
NBC has reported the recovery of more than a dozen bodies based on two sources, as reported by Reuters. This same agency also mentioned that CBS News had reported the recovery of at least 18 bodies, citing a police official.
Senator Roger Marshall from Kansas, where the plane originated, suggested that all passengers had died. During a press conference held at Reagan Airport early Thursday, he stated, "It is very tough to lose over 60 people from Kansas at the same time," and added, "When one person dies, it is a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it is unbearable pain."
"PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight?"
Radio communications between the air traffic control tower and the Black Hawk indicate that the helicopter crew knew the plane was nearby. Air traffic control recordings seem to capture the last attempt to communicate with the helicopter, with callsign PAT25, before it collided with the plane, described as a CRJ: "PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ," an air traffic controller said at 20:47 (0147 GMT), according to a recording from liveatc.net. Seconds later, another aircraft called air traffic control saying, "Tower, did you see that?" apparently referring to the accident. An air traffic controller then directed the planes heading to runway 33 to turn around.
The video of the accident, captured by a webcam at the nearby Kennedy Center, showed the moment of impact between the plane and the helicopter, with a huge explosion illuminating the night sky. Just after the collision, an air traffic controller was heard on the radio saying, "I just saw a fireball and then it disappeared. I haven't seen anything since they crashed into the river."
Just a week ago, Trump boasted about firings and ending the "madness for diversity and restoring excellence and safety in the Federal Aviation Administration," stating that "almost unbelievably, as a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiative, Biden's FAA recruited and specifically hired individuals with 'severe' intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and total paralysis over other individuals seeking to work for the FAA."
"Our prayers are with all those involved, and we will continue to keep the public informed as more information becomes available," promised the Mayor of the capital, Muriel Bowser, who traveled to the airport.
The newly sworn-in Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, instructed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (USDOT) to "provide full support" to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other agencies involved in the response. "I have spoken with Mayor Bowser, Governor Youngkin of Virginia, Governor Kelly of Kansas, and NTSB President Homendy to offer our agency's full assistance," he added. "Thanks to all the rescuers on-site conducting search and rescue operations."