Officials say there are no survivors among the 67 passengers on the aircrafts that collided above Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump says the cause of last night’s Washington DC crash between a plane and a military helicopter is still being investigated, and “our hearts are shattered”Brilliant people have to be in those positions,” the president said, later saying diversity hiring “could have been” linked to the crash. Earlier, he said officials weren’t sure what led to the collision, in which 67 people died.
The military helicopter, flown by “fairly experienced” crew members, was conducting “a required annual night evaluation,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
No one is believed to have survived, officials say – 64 people were on the American Airlines flight and three on the helicopter
Trump blames diversity rules under his predecessors, saying he believes people hired for air traffic control roles were not always qualified – but offers no evidence for this
One area investigators are focusing on is why the helicopter was flying at that location – Trump also questions this, saying it was “going at an angle that was unbelievably bad”
In an audio clip, air traffic controllers can be heard asking the helicopter’s crew if they can see the plane
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says “a mistake was made” and it appeared to be some sort of elevation issueAt least 28 bodies have been found as of Thursday morning. All 67 aboard the two aircraft are presumed dead.
All flights in and out of Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport were resumed at 11 a.m. Thursday. Video footage showed the moment to the aircraft collided in the D.C. nighttime sky.
