Trump Stokes Speculations on DC Plane Crash
US Place crash Image credit X.com
Trump Questions Chopper, Plane Flying at Same Height
By Raisina Correspondent
New Delhi, January 31: US President Donald Trump reiterated doubts on circumstances leading to a military helicopter crashing into a passenger airline that killed all the 67 passengers.
“Now with that, I’m not blaming the controller. I’m saying there are things that you could question, like the height of the helicopter, the height of the plane being at the same level and going the opposite direction,” Trump said at a press briefing.
The pilot of the helicopter had ejected before the crash after complaining technical snag in the chopper. The plane and the chopper fell into the Potomac River. The mishap took place at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.
US: Military Helicopter Crashes into Airlines with 60 Passengers
CBS News in a report said that “at least 40 bodies had been recovered as of Thursday evening”. The broadcaster quoted District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly, saying: “Efforts at the scene switched from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.”
Trump, meanwhile, asserted that “flying is very safe”. “We have the safest flying anywhere in the world, and we’ll keep it that way,” added Trump at the press briefing.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has termed the DC plane crash “a tragic mistake”. With both Trump and Hegseth stressing on mistake, the new administration is blaming the officials in charge of the air traffic for the deadly crash.
Trump almost blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for the DC plane crash, saying that stiff tests for hiring had been terminated earlier. “You have to go by psychological quality, and psychological quality is a very important element of it,” added Trump in his bid to further raise questions on officials in-charge of the air traffic at the Regen Airport.
He said that “these are various, very powerful tests that we put to use. And they were terminated by Biden. And Biden went by a standard that seeks the exact opposite.”
Investigations are still underway into the circumstances leading to the DC plane crash. But Trump reiterated his assertions made moments after the plane crash.
“But we do know that you had two planes at the same level. You had a helicopter and a plane. That shouldn’t have happened,” added Trump.
The Black Hawk helicopter was on a routine training flight. The military chopper was flying with experienced crew, reports said.
“Investigators are probing air traffic control staffing issues,” said CBS News in a report. The mishap is a first mid-air accident since 2009.
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