At least 27 bodies have been recovered after a military helicopter crashed into a regional jet over the Potomac River on Wednesday night. According to American Airlines, the plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, while the Army said three people were on board the Black Hawk. American and Russian figure skaters and coaches returning from a development camp in Wichita were among those on the plane.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared a statement from President Trump noting that he had been briefed on the “terrible accident” and that he is monitoring the situation.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 30, 2025
But on Truth Social, the president had some questions about the incident.
"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport," he wrote. "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!!!"
"What a terrible night this has been," he said in a follow-up post. "God bless you all!"
President Trump just made 2 statements on the plane and helicopter crash in D.C. pic.twitter.com/iW8exISayX
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) January 30, 2025
The CEO of American Airlines released a video statement about the accident.
CEO of American Airlines has released a video about the DCA crash pic.twitter.com/Pa7ILUFLLq
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 30, 2025
This post has been updated.
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