Reagan Airport in Washington on the night of the plane crash. Photo: Bonnie Cash/UPI
US President Donald Trump has said that the collision between an American Airlines CRJ700 Bombardier passenger jet and a Black Hawk military helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington could have been prevented, Reuters reports.
“The plane was making a perfect landing approach, and the helicopter was flying straight towards it. Why didn’t he change course?” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The tragedy occurred on Wednesday evening when the aircraft collided in mid-air and crashed into the Potomac River. There were 64 passengers and 3 crew members on board , as well as three military personnel in a helicopter. As of now, none of the survivors have been found.
Records of negotiations: could the tragedy have been averted?
Against the backdrop of Trump’s statements , recordings of air traffic controllers’ negotiations appeared on social media. They show the controller asking the helicopter pilot:
“PAT 25, do you see the CRJ?”
After that, the dispatcher did not give any direct instructions, but only informed me:
“PAT 25, go through CRJ.”
The last seconds before the disaster
According to CNN, the helicopter pilot responded:
“PAT 25 has aircraft in view, requesting visual separation.”
After 13 seconds, the recording captures the sounds of sighs and exclamations in the control room, after which the tower informs the other pilot of the tragedy:
“There was a collision at the end of the approach to runway 33. We are temporarily shutting down the airport.”
Trump accused the control room of inaction, saying:
“This is a terrible situation that could have been prevented. THIS IS NOT GOOD!”
World-class skaters on board
Among the passengers of the crashed plane were the 1994 world figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. They, along with their son Maxim Naumov, who was competing at the US Championships in Wichita, could have been on the plane, TASS reported.
The US Figure Skating Federation confirmed that at least 15 athletes were among the passengers.
“This is an unspeakable tragedy. We pray for all the victims and their families,” the federation said.
International reaction: Kremlin expresses condolences
Moscow confirmed that Vladimir Putin is not planning a phone call with Trump about the tragedy: “Russia deeply condoles with the families of the victims.”
The rescue operation continues
Intensive search operations are underway at the crash site, but no survivors have been found yet. Meanwhile, the US authorities have launched an investigation to answer the main question: could the tragedy have been avoided?
