The American Airlines flight from Wichita Kansas was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members at the time of the crash. Three soldiers were on board the helicopter.
President Trump addressed the tragedy saying “As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly.”
“Sadly, there are no survivors” of the crash, he said.
Trump said it was still not clear what led to the crash. He said the U.S. miliary and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
“We’ll find out how this disaster occurred and will ensure that nothing like this ever happens again," he said.
“Some really bad things happened and some things happened that shouldn’t have happened," the Republican president said from the White House briefing room, just over three miles from the scene of the disaster.
Trump blamed former President Joe Biden's administration for encouraging the Federal Aviation Administration to recruit workers “who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative.” He added that the program allowed for the hiring of people with hearing and vision issues as well as paralysis, epilepsy and “dwarfism.”
Trump did not share any evidence that unqualified people were being put in critical positions like air traffic control, and he acknowledged that there was as yet no indication that air traffic controllers at Reagan National Airport made any mistakes.
The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found. At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River. There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas.
U.S. Figure Skating previously confirmed that several skaters, coaches and family members were on the commercial flight after attending a development camp that followed the national championships that ended Sunday in Wichita.
The crew that was flying the Army Blackhawk helicopter when it collided with an American Airlines jet was “very experienced” and were not new to the unit or the congested flying that occurs daily around Washington, D.C.
That is according to Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation.
“Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them,” Koziol said.
“Even the crew chief in the back has been in the unit for a very long time, very familiar with the area, very familiar with the routing structure.”
The crew included an instructor pilot and pilot in command were experienced to the point where either crew member “could manage that helicopter by themselves.”
