Investigators have retrieved the black boxes from a commercial aircraft following a mid-air collision with a military helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington DC, resulting in the tragic loss of 67 lives.
President Donald Trump has initiated a political discourse, attributing the incident to the diversity and inclusion policies promoted by his Democratic predecessors.
His politicization of this tragedy coincides with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announcing the recovery of the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the Bombardier jet, which was operated by an American Airlines subsidiary and collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter late on Wednesday.
“The recorders are currently at the NTSB laboratories for analysis,” the agency stated.
According to a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration, only one controller was managing both the plane and helicopter traffic, unlike the usual practice of having two.
A massive fireball illuminated the night sky as both aircraft plunged into the frigid waters of the Potomac, prompting rescue teams to undertake the daunting task of recovering bodies in the darkness and cold.
In his press conference, Mr. Trump, who has been in office for just ten days, transformed the discussion into an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures, which are aimed at addressing racism and sexism in the United States.
Emergency personnel search the crash site.
Claiming that his Democratic predecessors, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, prevented qualified individuals from serving in the aviation agency in favor of DEI, he asserted, “They actually issued a directive: ‘too white.’ We want competent people.”
The passenger plane was carrying 64 individuals, while three were onboard the Black Hawk.
This collision marks the first major aviation disaster in the U.S. since 2009, when 49 lives were lost near Buffalo, New York, as American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, was approaching for landing.
Reagan National Airport, located near downtown Washington, the White House, and the Pentagon, is known for its crowded airspace, consistently shared by both civilian and military aircraft.
Mr. Trump began his White House press briefing by expressing the nation’s sorrow.
However, he soon diverted the focus towards a lengthy tirade against DEI, particularly targeting Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
“He’s run it right into the ground with his diversity initiatives,” Mr. Trump remarked.
Donald Trump utilized his press conference as a platform against DEI.
The narrative was reinforced as Vice President JD Vance and new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took turns at the podium, reiterating without substantiation the right-wing perspective suggesting that diversity initiatives hinder capable Americans from securing responsible positions.
When pressed again by journalists about whether he was blaming workplace diversity for the incident, Mr. Trump replied, “It could have been.”
In response, Mr. Buttigieg took to X, labeling Mr. Trump as “despicable.”
“As families mourn, Trump should be leading, not misleading,” he stated.
Read more: Trump blames diversity policies for poor air safety standards.
Nevertheless, Mr. Trump doubled down, later issuing an official memo directing the government to investigate the “deterioration in hiring standards” under the Biden administration and to “replace” anyone deemed unqualified.
Ice skaters among victims
Among those on the aircraft were several U.S. skaters and coaches, as confirmed by U.S. Figure Skating. Officials in Moscow also acknowledged the presence of the Russian pair Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, 1994 world pairs champions.
Additionally, two Chinese nationals were reported as victims, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua, citing the Chinese embassy.
It’s believed that there were no survivors from the crash.
“I just saw a fireball, and then it was gone,” one air traffic controller was overheard saying to a colleague after communications with the helicopter ceased.
Transportation officials indicated that both aircraft were following standard flight patterns on a clear night with good visibility.
Mr. Hegseth described the helicopter as having “a fairly experienced crew that was undergoing a required annual night evaluation.”
U.S. official vows to ‘fix’ FAA
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that he will soon unveil a plan to reform the Federal Aviation Administration post-incident.
“I am in the process of developing an initial plan to fix the FAA. I hope to release it very shortly,” Mr. Duffy mentioned on X.
Earlier, President Trump announced he had appointed a former senior aviation official as the acting head of the FAA.
