(The Hill) — President Donald Trump weighed in on the Wednesday evening crash between an American Airlines plane and military helicopter in Washington, claiming it “should have been prevented.”
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” he wrote on Truth Social. “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,” he continued. “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!!”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy echoed the sentiment during a press conference Thursday morning.
“We are going to wait for all the information to come in from, from this vantage point, but to back up what the president said, what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” he said.
Duffy also confirmed that both aircraft had been located, and a federal investigation was underway.
Their remarks come after a regional jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew collided with a military helicopter, which was on a training mission, just before landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday evening. American Airlines said the flight was en route from Wichita, Kansas.
The two aircraft crashed mid-air as the plane was descending to the runway around 9 p.m. local time, according to officials.
About 300 emergency responders conducted a multi-agency search-and-rescue operation. Authorities confirmed that both aircraft were in the Potomac River and rescue operations are underway.
Officials said during Thursday’s presser that no survivors were expected, but roughly 30 bodies have been recovered so far. None of the crash victims have been identified so far.
Trump, in his late-night post, also echoed the concern that many expressed after the disaster.
“What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!” he wrote on Truth Social.
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