(January 31, 2025, REUTERS) – As the FAA, NTSB and Pentagon investigate the causes of the deadly crash between an American Airlines regional passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday, January 30, that U.S. authorities have “strong opinions” on what caused the collision.
Trump also announced that he had appointed a former senior aviation official as the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration administrator.
“We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas,” he said at a news conference.
Chris Rocheleau, a U.S. Air Force veteran who worked at the FAA for more than 20 years, was previously chief operating officer of the National Business Aviation Association.
Mike Whitaker, who was unanimously confirmed as the FAA administrator in October 2023, stepped down on Jan. 20 when Trump took office. Trump has not named a nominee to replace Whitaker and the FAA for 10 days has declined to say who was running the agency on an acting basis.
Trump suggested that efforts to boost diversity at the FAA could have been a cause in the crash and harshly criticized Pete Buttigieg, who headed the Transportation Department under Pres. Joe Biden, saying, “he’s a disaster… He’s run it right into the ground with his diversity.”
The U.S. Army helicopter that collided with a passenger jet near Washington was being operated on a training flight at night U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters, adding that there appears to have been an elevation issue with the Black Hawk. He said Army investigators were on the ground looking into the matter.
The FAA is about 3,000 controllers behind staffing targets and the agency said in 2023 it had 10,700 certified controllers, about the same as a year earlier.
Trump also that air traffic control systems have not been built properly.
The Black Hawk helicopter struck an American Airlines passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River. Authorities have said there were no survivors. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The airport is located in Arlington, Virginia, across the river from Washington.
(Production: Arlene Eiras)
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