President Donald Trump says there were no survivors after an American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.
At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac, officials said. Officials say they believe there were no survivors. If that is the case, the collision would be the deadliest U.S. air crash since 2009.
The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found. Three soldiers were on board.
“As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly,” Trump said at a press briefing Thursday.
“Sadly, there are no survivors” of the crash, he said.
Trump has suggested that the Federal Aviation Administration’s diversity efforts had made air travel less safe.
The president asserted his opinion even though the crash has yet to be fully investigated and there has been no determination as to whether the FAA did anything wrong.
Trump also suggested he might make sweeping changes at federal aviation agencies. There could firings “if we find that people aren’t mentally competent.”
“The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website,” said Trump, noting that the program allowed for the hiring of people with hearing and vision issues as well as paralysis, epilepsy and “dwarfism.”
“For some jobs,” Trump said, singling out air traffic controllers. “They have to be at the highest level of genius.”
Trump blamed previous administrations’ efforts to promote diversity at federal agencies for contributing to the crash. Asked why he thought that was an issue what happened, he responded, “Because I have common sense.”