"It Should Never Have Happened," President Trump on Aviation Crash at Reagan National Airport

President Trump personally informed the nation about the catastrophic collision involving American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines. The flight, en route from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C., collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter as it approached Reagan National Airport in Virginia.

On Thursday, the President stated that, in his view, the collision over the Potomac River "should have been prevented." However, he acknowledged that he did not have direct evidence to fully support this initial assessment.

"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing. Why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn?" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He also questioned the role of air traffic control in the tragedy: "Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane?" he said, referring to publicly available air traffic control audio.

Calling the situation “a bad one that looks like it should have been prevented,” Trump concluded emphatically: “NOT GOOD!!!”

In a separate post, he added: “What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!”

Key Takeaways

A press conference with President Trump is always fast-paced and direct, and this was no exception. He has long shown zero tolerance for incompetence and government deflections.

While he expressed sorrow and compassion for the lives lost, he quickly pivoted to a broader point—criticizing the previous administration for prioritizing DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in hiring air traffic controllers and other aviation personnel. His remarks seemed aimed at distancing his administration from the disaster while implying that Biden-era policies may have played a role.

Ultimately, Americans are getting exactly what they voted for. Trump ran on a platform of common sense and reaffirmed this commitment in his inaugural address, calling for a "revolution of common sense."

His stance on this tragedy is unmistakable, making it easy for the American people to hold him accountable. While some may find his directness uncomfortable, his willingness to address issues head-on is a stark contrast to the usual political doublespeak—and that, to many, is refreshing.

Let us hope a commonsense approach will lead to changes to make tragedies like this in the future preventable.

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Midair collision over nation’s capital preceded by months of near misses, safety warnings

UPDATE: The Federal Aviation Agency had admitted the staffing was "not normal" at the air traffic control at the Regan National Airport at the time of the crash.

The night before the DC crash, another airliner almost collided with a military helicopter.

A day before American Airlines Flight 5342 was involved in a midair collision with a helicopter, a passenger flight had to abort its landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.

Republic Airways Flight 4514 had to abandon its initial approach and attempt a second landing due to the presence of a helicopter near its flight path.

This information comes from an air traffic control audio recording obtained on Tuesday and reported by The Washington Post. READ MORE AT TOWNHALL