Donald Trump issues statement after American Airlines plane and army helicopter collide in mid-air
A search is ongoing following the crash as authorities look for survivors
President Donald Trump has issued a statement following the horrific American Airlines crash that happened in Washington D.C overnight.
At around 9pm in Washington D.C on Wednesday (29 January), a PSA Airlines aircraft owned by American Airlines crashed into a BlackHawk US Army military helicopter.
The commercial aircraft was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, while three personnel were on board the helicopter.
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Flight 5342 was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport as the incident happened, with both crashing into the Potomac River.
19 bodies have been recovered at the time of writing, and the search efforts have continued throughout the night.
President Trump is, as you'd expect, being kept in the loop regarding the current situation and has written on his TruthSocial account overnight.
The 47th president claims the crash 'should have been prevented'.
In an initial post, Trump said: "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!!!"
And in a follow-up post, the president wrote: "What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!"
America is reeling from the recent events, with Jimmy Mazeo witnessing the horror crash first hand.
"We didn't really think much of it until we saw the fire trucks started going out to the tarmac and the police cars and boats. It was insane," he told WUSA9.
"I'm really in awe. Of course it's terrible what happened tonight, but I think that it's crazy we got to see what happened. I'm praying for all the people involved in this."
In a statement provided to UNILAD, American Airlines said: "American Eagle Flight 5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas (ICT), to Washington, D.C. (DCA) was involved in an accident at DCA.
"The flight was operated by PSA Airlines with a CRJ-700. There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.
"Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts.
"If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215. Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can call 800-679-8215 directly."
Topics: American Airlines, Donald Trump, US News
Callum Jones