US authorities continue search and rescue operations after an American Airlines regional jet collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night, near the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC.
Both aircrafts went down into the Potomac River and all 64 persons on board the American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 jet and three on the Black Hawk helicopter are feared dead.
The incident occured 9.00pm local time when the passenger jet approaching the airport collided with the chopper. It was the first time since 2009 a major air mishap will happen in the USA.
According to radio traffic, Air Traffic Control at the airport advised the helicopter of the plane’s approach and asked the helicopter pilots to confirm they had the plane in sight, which is standard procedure.
Reacting to the disaster US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social media: “It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn?
“Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane? This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
