Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said the deadly mid-air collision between the American Airlines passenger jet and a helicopter was “preventable” as the airlines’ boss seems to blame the doomed military helicopter for the disaster.
The tragedy took place 400ft over the Potomac River claiming the lives of all sixty passengers of Flight 5342, its four crew members, and three US Army personnel.
Duffy agreed with President Donald Trump when he said the crash was preventable.
“It was, I would say, standards communication, so there was not a breakdown, if that’s your question, in communication between the military helicopter and the American Airlines flight. There was communication between the aircraft and the tower,” he said.
“I would say that the helicopter was aware that the plane was in the area,”
“We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but…what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”
American Airlines Chief Executive Robert Isom blamed the Black Hawk pilot for crossing paths with the plane.
“At this time, we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of PSA aircraft,” he said.
Rescue teams and first responders spent the night searching the Potomac River for survivors, recovering at least 28 bodies so far.
