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Trump says air traffic control systems have not been built properly
Radio communications show that air traffic controllers alerted the helicopter about the approach jet and ordered it to change course.
U.S. President Donald Trump listens to questions as he speaks to reporters about Wednesday's deadly midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Eagle flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2025. / REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
President Donald Trump said on Jan. 30 that air traffic control systems have not been built properly, speaking in the wake of a deadly midair collision between an American Airlines regional passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington D.C.
"They spent a lot of money renovating a system, spending much more money than they would have spent if they bought a new system for air traffic controllers, meaning the computerized systems. There are certain companies that do a very good job. They didn't use those companies," Trump said.
The investigation into the crash in the nation's capital has just begun and it was not yet clear why the American Airlines Bombardier carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with the Army Black Hawk helicopter as it prepared to land at Reagan Washington National Airport.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said both aircraft had been flying standard flight patterns and there had been no breakdown in communication.
Radio communications show that air traffic controllers alerted the helicopter about the approach jet and ordered it to change course.
Airspace is frequently crowded in the U.S. capital region, home to three commercial airports and several major military facilities, and officials have raised concerns about busy runways at Reagan National Airport, just across the river from Washington. There have been several near-miss incidents that have sparked alarm, including a near-collision in May 2024.
A shortage of air traffic controllers in the United States in recent years has spurred safety concerns.
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