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All feared dead in Washington plane crash, Trump blames Democrats
MAINICHI   | Januari 31, 2025
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A view of an American Airlines plane in the Potomac River in Washington on Jan. 30, 2025, after it collided in midair with a military helicopter and crashed into the water. (Getty/Kyodo)
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- U.S. authorities said Thursday they believe there are no survivors in a midair collision near Washington between a commercial jet carrying 64 people and a military helicopter, with President Donald Trump quickly politicizing the accident, blaming his two Democratic predecessors.
"Sadly, there are no survivors," Trump told a press conference at the White House after rescue efforts were shifted to a recovery mission in the Potomac River following the Wednesday night crash involving an American Airlines flight and a helicopter with three aboard.
Trump first offered condolences to the families of those killed in the accident, in which the Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet from Kansas and the Black Hawk helicopter on a training flight both plunged into the icy river.
But Trump moved on to say, "We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas," and started alleging that standards for air traffic control hiring had become too lax during the administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Without offering any evidence, Trump, who returned to the White House for a nonconsecutive second term 10 days ago, suggested that diversity requirements promoted by the former Democratic presidents and implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration could have played a role in the crash.
Although the investigation into the cause of the accident has just begun, Trump claimed the FAA was "actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative," saying his criticism was based on "common sense."
"They have to be talented, naturally talented geniuses. You can't have regular people doing that job. They won't be able to do it, but we'll restore faith in American air travel," he said.
While vowing to get to the bottom of the incident as quickly as possible, Vice President JD Vance and the secretaries of transportation and defense, who joined the press conference, did not appear to be speaking primarily to the nation during their respective comments, as each frequently looked over to Trump and praised his leadership in their remarks.
If the fatalities in the collision are confirmed, the latest aviation disaster, involving top young American figure skaters and Russian coaches, would be the deadliest in the United States since late 2001, when an American Airlines jet crashed after taking off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing 265 people.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a separate briefing that it is not unusual for military aircraft to fly near commercial planes in the vicinity of the busy airport, located only some 5 kilometers from the White House, and that both the regional jet and the helicopter, a Sikorsky H-60, were in a "standard" flight pattern.
The flight, operated by an American Airlines subsidiary, had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, where the U.S. figure skating championships recently took place, and the International Skating Union said some athletes and their coaches were passengers.
"We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board," the skating union said in a statement.
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