President Trump speaks about the collision of an American Airlines flight with a military Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport, Jan.30, Washington, D.C. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
President Trump on Friday blamed the flight path of the Black Hawk helicopter for the fatal plane crash near Washington, D.C.
The big picture: Trump — without providing any evidence — had already blamed diversity efforts for the crash, and his latest comments come well before the National Transportation Safety Board has had time to conduct a thorough investigation.
- ‘The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot,” he wrote on Truth Social. “It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???”
State of play: Early evidence shows the helicopter may have been flying outside of its approved flight path, multiple outlets reported.
- A Federal Aviation Administration report said one air traffic controller was working two jobs at the time of the crash, per AP, which was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”
Zoom out: The NTSB’s preliminary report is expected within 30 days, and a board member said Thursday it’s too early to draw conclusions about the cause of the accident.
- Trump, who ordered a review of federal aviation hiring and safety decisions, on Thursday said it was “common sense” to blame diversity programs for the tragedy, without providing any link between the two.
- American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a Thursday memo to staff that the NTSB “will be the sole source of truth going forward.”
Go deeper: What to know about the victims of the D.C. plane crash
