Concerns that a deadly collision could occur at Reagan National Airport had long been building. But attempts to draw attention to potentially dangerous conditions sometimes went unheeded.
The Army helicopter that collided with a passenger plane above the Potomac River boasted an experienced crew doing βan unforgiving job.β Friends and relatives are still baffled and mourning their loss.
Remains of 55 of the 67 victims have been recovered, officials said on Sunday as they prepared to lift the wreckage of the jet out of the Potomac River on Monday.
Transportation safety investigators are seeking to determine if the pilots of the American Airlines plane detected danger just before the midair crash with a helicopter.
In a briefing that recalled his most extreme first term remarks, President Trump said without any evidence that diversity initiatives caused the midair collision.
President Trumpβs remarks, suggesting without evidence that diversity in hiring and other Biden administration policies somehow caused the disaster, reflected his instinct to immediately frame major events through his political or ideological lens.
The plane had been cleared to land on Reagan National Airportβs main runway. But in the final moments of the flight, air traffic control asked the pilot to land on a separate, intersecting runway.