Trump criticises diversity hiring after 67 dead in US air disaster
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump implied without evidence federal diversity efforts were at fault on Thursday (Jan 30) after a regional jet crashed into a US Army helicopter at a Washington airport, killing 67 people in the deadliest US air disaster in more than 20 years.
The investigation into the crash in the nation’s capital has just begun and it was not yet clear why the American Airlines Bombardier carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with the Army Black Hawk helicopter as it prepared to land at Reagan Washington National Airport.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said both aircraft had been flying standard flight patterns and there had been no breakdown in communication.
Radio communications show that air traffic controllers alerted the helicopter about the approaching jet and ordered it to change course. There is no evidence that efforts to make the federal workforce more diverse have compromised air safety.