Investigations launch into horrific DC plane crash as Trump without evidence blames DEI

by Ariana Figueroa and Ashley Murray, Florida Phoenix
January 30, 2025

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators said Thursday they are investigating the deadly midair collision between a commercial jet carrying 64 people and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia, just outside the District of Columbia.

Meanwhile, with no conclusive evidence on the cause of the worst U.S. air disaster in years yet disclosed, President Donald Trump in a White House press event tied the tragedy to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the Department of Transportation.

The president blamed air traffic controller standards and the Biden administration’s “big push to put diversity into the FAA program,” pointing to former DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg in particular. Buttigieg released a statement on social media shortly after the press conference criticizing Trump’s comments as “despicable.”

When reporters asked how he knew that diversity among air traffic controllers was a factor in the crash, Trump responded: “Because I have common sense.”

Officials believe there are no survivors from the regional jet or the Black Hawk, which were sent plunging into the frigid Potomac River late Wednesday. The death toll stands at 67, including the three members of the helicopter crew. Officials said 28 bodies had been recovered as a massive operation in the river continued.

Senators expressed their condolences to the families of crash victims and vowed to get answers. ​​​J. Todd Inman, a board member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said that the independent investigative agency will have a preliminary report within 30 days and then a final report.

“It’s a horrifying accident,” said West Virginia GOP Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who sits on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. “Looks like human error.”

The chair of that panel, Sen. Ted Cruz, said that he was briefed by senior leadership from the Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB in his office along with members of the committee.

“Obviously, something happened that should not have happened, but I think it is a mistake to speculate until we see what the evidence demonstrates,” the Texas Republican said.

Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp said in a written statement Thursday that the Army’s “top priority is to assist in the recovery efforts, while fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other investigative agencies to determine the cause of this tragic incident.”

“While the investigation is ongoing, we are committed to transparency and will share accurate updates as soon as they become available,” said Bredenkamp, commander of the Joint Task Force for the National Capital Region.

Air Florida crash

Wednesday’s collision was the deadliest plane crash in the D.C. area since 1982, when an Air Florida flight crashed into the Potomac River and killed 78 people, and it’s the first major disaster of the Trump administration’s second term.

The crash of the PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700, which occurred around 9 p.m. Eastern Wednesday, came two days after the Senate confirmed former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as Trump’s nominee to be Transportation secretary.

In a Thursday morning briefing, Duffy said that he thought the crash was preventable — in line with early social media posts from the president — but deferred further conclusions to the NTSB, which will lead the investigation.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on the Senate floor that his prayers were with those who lost their lives in the crash and that Congress, in its oversight role, will investigate the incident.

“It’s too early to know why last night’s crash occurred, but we’re going to find out,” the South Dakota Republican said. “And Congress and federal agencies will be closely examining this tragedy to ensure that America’s skies are safe.”

Trump names acting FAA chief

As of Thursday morning there was no acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Trump said during the White House briefing, at approximately 11:20 a.m. Eastern, that he was immediately naming the agency’s deputy administrator, Christopher Rocheleau, to the role of acting FAA administrator.

During the roughly 35-minute press conference, Trump told reporters, “We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas.”

As he stood before the press less than 24 hours after the American Airlines Flight 5342 crash, Trump said former President Joe Biden had allowed the FAA to hire persons with disabilities. Trump then specifically said those with “hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism  — all qualify for the position of a controller of airplanes pouring into our country, pouring into a little spot, a little dot on the map, little runway.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities pushed back on Trump’s comments, writing on social media that “FAA employees with disabilities did not cause last night’s tragic plane crash.”

“The investigation into the crash is still ongoing,” AAPD said in a statement. “It is extremely inappropriate for the President to use this tragedy to push an anti-diversity hiring agenda. Doing so makes all Americans less safe.”

Vice President J.D. Vance, along with Duffy and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, echoed Trump’s comments about DEI at the press briefing.

During Trump’s first administration, in April 2019, the FAA announced an initiative to enroll up to 20 persons with disabilities into an Aviation Development Program.

Trump signed an executive order last week directing the FAA “to immediately stop Biden DEI hiring programs and return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring.”

Trump also told reporters he listened to the air traffic controller audio in the seconds leading up to the crash, and “you had a pilot problem from the standpoint of the helicopter.”

Traffic controllers can be heard on the audio telling the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter “I need you to land immediately.”

Buttigieg said in his statement that Trump was not telling the truth about the FAA under Biden.

“As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch,” Buttigieg said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, also criticized the president’s news conference.

“Listen, it’s one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracies, it’s another for the president of the United States to throw out idle speculation as bodies are still being recovered and families are still being notified,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “It just turns your stomach.”

Local lawmakers have long worried about DCA

Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Democratic Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner have long criticized the large number of flight slots at DCA and have pushed back on adding new slots to the airport, which is a favorite for lawmakers as it’s close to the U.S. Capitol.

In April, there was a near-miss, when two planes cleared to take off came within 400 feet of crashing.

Last year, Congress in May approved an FAA bill that finalized a five-year, $105 billion plan that added flight slots to an already busy DCA.

Cruz defended the long haul flights he pushed for in the FAA bill, some that included Texas.

“I believe we should wait for the investigation to demonstrate what actually caused the accident, rather than speculating,” he said. “We know it was tragic, and there are families of 67 men and women grieving right now.”

Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union that represents aviation professionals, said in a statement that “it would be premature to speculate on the root cause of this accident.”

“We will wait for the National Transportation Safety Board to complete its work and use that information to help guide decisions and changes to enhance and improve aviation safety,” he said.

Joseph McCartin, a Georgetown University professor who has studied the nation’s air traffic controllers, said Trump’s comments attributing the crash to DEI programs are “absurd.”

“The problem is that, if there is a problem at the FAA, it certainly doesn’t stem from DEI. Rather, it stems from consistent and chronic understaffing of air traffic control facilities, which has been happening over years,” said McCartin who published the 2011 book “Collision Course:  Ronald Reagan, the Air Traffic Controllers, and the Strike that Changed America.”

Who was aboard the jet

Among the 60 passengers and four crew members on the plane were U.S. Figure Skating coaches and athletes, along with their families, returning from a national development camp held in concert with the association’s championships in Wichita, the association confirmed Wednesday night.

Six members, including two teen athletes, two parents and two coaches, of the Skating Club of Boston were on board, according to reporting by WBUR and the Rhode Island Current.

Club officials identified the skaters as Jinna Han,13, and Spencer Lane, 16, along with their mothers, Jin Han and Christine Lane. The club’s coaches, among the victims, were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, according to the organization.

Russian state media confirmed Thursday morning that two Russian figure skaters and other Russian citizens were on the plane.

A U.S. Department of State spokesperson told States Newsroom that officials had reached out to the foreign diplomat community and will provide an update once the department receives confirmation from the NTSB of foreign national casualties.

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said at a press conference Thursday morning that the city had not yet reviewed the passenger manifest, but said one family showed up at the Wichita airport Wednesday night seeking information about the crash.

The direct flight from Wichita to Washington, D.C., had only just begun in January 2024.

Virginia’s Loudoun County School District Superintendent Aaron Spence issued a letter Thursday confirming that one of its students had been on the flight, according to FOX5 Washington, D.C. The letter did not identify the student.

The United Association wrote on social media Thursday that four of its union members from Steamfitters Local 602 were among the plane’s passengers. The union local is based in Landover, Maryland.

The flight crew was based out of Charlotte, North Carolina, the Charlotte Observer reported.

FOX5 Atlanta reported that one of the plane’s pilots was a 28-year-old named Sam Lilley. The local affiliate cited the pilot’s father Timothy Lilley, who has ties to Georgia.

Last updated 4:33 p.m., Jan. 30, 2025

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.