On Friday, former President Donald Trump suggested that the military helicopter involved in Wednesday night’s deadly midair collision near Washington, D.C. was flying at an unsafe altitude.
“The Black Hawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200-foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The collision between the UH-60 Black Hawk and an American Airlines flight occurred as the passenger jet was making its final approach to Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Tragically, more than 60 people lost their lives in the accident.
Reports indicate that the helicopter was supposed to be flying at a lower altitude at the time of the crash. According to individuals briefed on the situation, the helicopter had requested a flight path that would have kept it below 200 feet but was reportedly flying higher than permitted. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Pentagon have launched investigations to determine what went wrong.
Since the crash, Trump has offered varying explanations for what may have caused the tragedy. At times, he has suggested pilot error, while at other moments, he has linked the incident to diversity efforts in hiring air traffic controllers.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday, Trump questioned the helicopter’s positioning, saying, “The people in the helicopter should have seen where they were going. What was the helicopter doing in that track? Very sad. But visually, somebody should have been able to see and taken that helicopter out of play, and they should have been at a different height.”
As investigations continue, federal aviation and military officials are working to determine whether air traffic control errors, pilot misjudgment, or other factors played a role in the deadly collision.