American Airlines CEO appears to blame military helicopter for deadly crash
American Airlines has made its first statement since the tragic collision between American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter operated by America's military.
The Army helicopter collided with the passenger flight around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, and officials have not found any survivors in the wreckage.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom released a statement shortly after the tragedy, and he was seemingly quick to place blame for the incident on the military aircraft.
"At this time, we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft," Isom said on January 30, 2025.
"We’re absolutely heartbroken for the family and loved ones of the passengers and crew members and also for those that were on the military aircraft. Our focus right now is doing everything that we can to support all of those involved and also the PSA Airlines team," he added.
President Donald Trump and new Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have also released public statements about the tragedy, with both seeming to indicate that the disaster was preventable.
Donald Trump said that the crash "looks like it 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 said. "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!!!!"
Sean Duffy seemed to back up Trump's comments:
"We are going to wait for all the information to come in 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."
Sixty passengers and four crew were aboard the American Airlines flight, and three souls were in the Army helicopter.
According to the AP, "at least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River."
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: ‘PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.’ Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
