 "'Why didn't helicopter turn?': Trump plays blame-game as rescuers look for survivors")
Even as hundreds of emergency workers are scouring the Potomac river for survivors, US President Donald Trump has started the blame game for the air accident involving an American Airlines aeroplane and a US Army helicopter.
Earlier on Wednesday night, an American Airlines plane with 60 passengers and four crew members collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter with three personnel. The American Airlines plane was approaching the Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia at the time of collision. The CBS News has reported a police official as saying that 18 bodies have been recovered so far.
Hours after the crash, Trump took to Truth Social to speculate about the cause of the crash. He blamed the pilots of the Army helicopter and the air traffic control of the airport for the crash.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. 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! (sic)” said Trump.
Trump was joined by the Russian regime in peddling speculation and misinformation about the crash. Russian regime-run RT said on X that the Black Hawk’s variant involved in the crash is used to carry senior official and the helicopter that crashed “likely departed from CIA HQ as well”.
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View AllThe RT’s assertion was denied by US Army.
Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported the US Army as saying: “No senior officials onboard the Blackhawk helicopter that crashed into American Airlines flight near Reagan National Airport.”
In a separate statement, the US Army told Griffin that the helicopter was on a training flight.
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