All Dead in US Passenger Plane and Helicopter Collision... First Test for Trump Administration

Fire Authorities Presume All 67 Passengers Dead
Trump Blames DEI Programs for the Tragedy
NYT Points to Air Traffic Controller Shortage at the Airport

An American Airlines passenger plane is passing near the site where search and recovery operations are underway following a collision between a small passenger plane and a U.S. Army helicopter over Washington, USA, on the 30th (local time). (Photo by UPI, Yonhap News)

On the 29th (local time), a passenger plane and a U.S. Army helicopter collided over Washington, D.C., resulting in the deaths of all 67 people on board. This marked the first major disaster since the inauguration of the second Trump administration, putting the new administration to the test. Amid this, President Donald Trump and his close associates attributed the cause of the disaster to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, drawing criticism for politically exploiting the tragedy.

According to U.S. media outlets NBC and CNN, John Donnelly, Chief of the Washington Fire Department, stated in an emergency briefing on the morning of the 30th (local time), "There are no survivors from the passenger plane and military helicopter collision that occurred last night," adding, "We are transitioning from rescue operations to recovery of bodies and wreckage."

The accident occurred around 8:48 p.m. when a small passenger plane from American Airlines Group's PSA Airlines, approaching Ronald Reagan Airport for landing, collided with a U.S. military helicopter (UH-60 Black Hawk). Fire authorities conducted rescue operations throughout the night, but the nighttime conditions and poor visibility in the river caused initial difficulties in the rescue efforts, according to CNN. The low water temperature was also cited as one of the factors reducing the chances of survival for those on board.

The aircraft, which departed from central Kansas, carried a total of 64 people, including 60 passengers and 4 crew members, while the helicopter had 3 military personnel on board. Foreign media reported that about 20 former and current figure skaters and coaches, including the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships champion, were on the passenger plane. According to the Korean government’s consular officer in charge of Korean-American affairs, Korean-American figure skater Gina Han, who had been recognized as a promising female figure skater, was also among those on board. Spencer Lane, a teenage male figure skater on the flight, was adopted from Korea to the U.S., his father told local media.

While the cause of the accident is still under investigation, The New York Times (NYT) cited a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicating a shortage of air traffic control personnel at the airport. At the time of the accident, the controller responsible for the helicopter near the airport was also managing the takeoffs and landings of other aircraft simultaneously, effectively handling the workload of two people alone. It was reported that the communication failure issue raised by some did not occur. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated, "There was no communication failure between the control tower and the passenger plane or helicopter."

NYT predicted that the burden on the new administration would increase, as this accident was the first major disaster since the inauguration of the second Trump administration on the 20th (local time). Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy was sworn in a day before the accident, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had also just begun his official duties.

President Trump and his close associate, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, led claims that the accident was caused by DEI programs. On the 30th (local time), Trump blamed the DEI programs and the previous Biden and Obama administrations for the accident. Musk also posted on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), claiming, "The FAA and government agencies under the Biden administration have implemented completely absurd hiring practices that endangered public safety."

Bloomberg News pointed out that following wildfires in Los Angeles and inflation issues in the U.S., DEI programs are now being blamed for the Washington aircraft crash as well, describing it as a typical "MAGA (Make America Great Again)-style criticism." NYT criticized Trump’s approach as reflecting an instinct to immediately interpret major events through political and ideological lenses.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also reported that in relation to President Trump’s criticism of diversity policies, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) official avoided answering questions during a congressional hearing. J. Todd Inman, an NTSB board member, responded to questions about Trump’s remarks that diversity hiring was the cause of the accident by saying, "Unfortunately, I did not hear the president’s comments," and avoided answering by stating he was briefing members of Congress about the accident at the time.