Trump on Washington’s midair collision: ‘Sadly, there are no survivors’
Emergency response units access airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (AFP Photo)
A devastating midair collision on Wednesday evening near Reagan National Airport has left no survivors U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday. All passengers and crew onboard American Eagle Flight 5342, as well as the three service members onboard an Army Black Hawk helicopter, are presumed dead.
In the wake of the tragedy, Trump addressed the nation from the White House, confirming there were no survivors in the crash. “Sadly, there are no survivors,” Trump said, speaking in an “hour of anguish” for the nation. He called for a moment of silence at the beginning of his remarks to honor those who lost their lives.
“The work has now shifted to a recovery mission,” he added, describing Wednesday evening as “a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history.”
The crash occurred during a routine training flight involving a PSA Airlines-operated American Airlines aircraft, which was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, and the Black Hawk helicopter.
Search-and-Rescue Operations Transition to Recovery Efforts
By Thursday morning, search-and-rescue teams had shifted to recovery operations. D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly provided an update, stating, “At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident.” As of Thursday, 27 bodies had been recovered from the plane, along with one body from the helicopter.
President Trump Offers Strong Opinions on Cause of Collision
During the briefing, President Trump suggested that the White House had strong opinions on the possible causes of the midair collision. “We did not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we’ll probably state those opinions now,” Trump said. He emphasized that the administration would seek to ensure such an incident never happens again.
“We think we have some pretty good ideas, but we’ll find out how this disaster occurred,” he said. “And we’ll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.”
However, the head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association cautioned against jumping to conclusions, stating in a letter to its members that it was “premature to speculate on root cause” at this stage of the investigation.
Trump Blames Previous Administrations’ Aviation Policies
Without offering evidence, President Trump also sought to assign blame to past Democratic administrations, particularly with regard to aviation policies. He criticized the standards for air traffic controllers, claiming they were raised during his administration.
“We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system,” Trump said. “I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary.” He argued that air traffic controllers needed to meet higher intellectual and psychological standards to ensure safety in aviation.
Trump continued, claiming that when he took office in 2016, he had implemented changes to improve qualifications for air traffic controllers. However, he suggested that the Biden administration had since reversed these standards. “When I left office and Biden took over, he changed them back to lower than ever before. Their policy was horrible,” Trump said. “And their politics was even worse.”
Defense Secretary Hegseth discusses the helicopter’s training mission
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided additional details on Thursday, confirming that the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the collision was conducting a routine training mission at the time of the crash. “The helicopter was participating in a routine annual training of night flights on a standard corridor for a continuity of government mission,” Hegseth explained.
However, he acknowledged that “a mistake was made” during the training. “No excuses. We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” he vowed. Hegseth noted that there appeared to be an “elevation issue,” which was now under investigation by the Department of Defense and the Army.
“The military does dangerous things. It does routine things on a regular basis. Tragically, last night, a mistake was made,” he said, reiterating the ongoing investigation into the events leading up to the collision.
