Chopper involved in DC crash was on drill to evacuate government staff
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The US Secretary of Defense told Fox News that the helicopter was conducting a "continuity of government" practice to enable pilots to "rehearse in ways that would reflect a real-world scenario."
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Wreckage is seen in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, on January 30, 2025. (AP)
Top US authorities have stated that the military helicopter involved in the fatal midair crash with an American Airlines airliner in Washington on Wednesday that killed 67 people was on a training trip to evacuate members of the government in the event of a disaster or attack.
Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defense, told Fox News that the helicopter was conducting a "continuity of government" practice to enable pilots to "rehearse in ways that would reflect a real-world scenario." Hegseth declined to comment more, stating he didn't want to "get into anything classified."
The 12th Aviation Battalion, which operates the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, is tasked with evacuating key US leaders from Washington, DC, to safe areas in the case of an emergency.
Hegseth's remarks are consistent with those of Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for the army's aviation directorate, who said Thursday that their role includes helping the Defense Department if "something really bad" were to happen in the area and senior leaders needed to be moved.
An early FAA report into the crash revealed responsibility for handling air traffic control for helicopters and planes at Reagan National Airport was combined earlier than usual on Wednesday night.
Helicopters and planes are handled separately in the crowded area between 10 am and 9.30 pm, according to The New York Times. After 9.30 pm, when traffic calms, the responsibilities might be merged. The crash occurred shortly before 9 pm.
According to the Associated Press, the FAA's preliminary safety analysis indicated that airport staffing was "not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic." The FAA and the controllers' union have established staffing objectives for 30 air traffic controllers at the airport, but as of September 2023, there were only 19.
Fewer than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller questioned the helicopter: "PAT-25, do you have the CRJ in sight?" Moments later, the controller sends another radio transmission to PAT25: "PAT-25 pass behind the CRJ," referring to the Bombardier CRJ-700.
However, there is growing speculation that the helicopter's pilots had their eyes on a jet trailing behind the American Airlines flight in the landing queue. Questions are also being posed concerning the helicopter's altitude. It was cleared to fly at 200 feet, but it appears to have climbed to 400 feet and into the route of the airplane.
Trump suggests incompetence cause for crash
Within hours of the tragedy, President Donald Trump and other administration officials linked diversity hiring and DEI initiatives to the crash, despite acknowledging that investigations were only starting.
He criticized the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) diversity and hiring policy, which has been in place since 2013, long before the Biden administration.
"We do not know what led to this crash," he admitted, "but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we'll probably state those opinions now."
He mocked the FAA's efforts to promote inclusion and the hiring of disabled individuals as air traffic controllers, emphasizing that such roles should be filled by "naturally talented geniuses" and claiming that someone with a disability could not meet that standard.
When asked for evidence that diversity hiring contributed to the crash, Trump offered no proof, saying, "It just could have been" and claiming he had "common sense" and many others did not.
Trump has advocated against initiatives that aim to eliminate systematic disadvantages by offering opportunities to excluded communities, claiming these regulations are discriminatory and lead to lower standards.
His stance, widely echoed in the MAGA movement, reflects a belief that diversity takes precedence over competence. Musk has supported this narrative, criticizing companies like United Airlines and Boeing for their initiatives to hire non-white pilots and workers.
On his inauguration day, Trump issued an executive order aimed at ending government programs, offices, jobs, plans, activities, projects, grants, and contracts related to DEI, DEIA ("A" for accessibility), environmental justice, and equality.
