New Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday that the deadly collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter was “absolutely” preventable.
Duffy, who was confirmed to his role just a day before Wednesday night’s crash, said he agreed with President Trump who said it “looks like it should have been prevented.”
“To back up what the president said, from what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” Duffy said during a Thursday morning briefing as it eas confirmed all 67 on the jet and chopper are assumed dead.
Duffy insisted there was “not a breakdown” in communication between the helicopter’s pilots and the American Airlines flight ahead of the deadliest US airplane crash in decades.
“It was, I would say, standard communication, so there was not a breakdown, if that’s your question, in communication between the military helicopter and the American airline flight. There was communication between the aircraft and the tower,” Duffy stated.
“I would say that the helicopter was aware that the plane was in the area,” Duffy said, later noting both aircraft were on a “standard flight pattern” and flying in optimal conditions.
“This was a clear night last night; the helicopter was in the standard pattern. If you live in the DC area, you will see helicopters up and down the river,” he said.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the American Airlines jet’s collision with a military helicopter in DC
“The American Airlines flight coming in to land was in a standard flight pattern as it was coming into DCA, so this was not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at DCA.”
Meanwhile, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom seemed to suggest that the military chopper was to blame for the deadly crash.
“At this time, we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft,” Isom said Thursday morning.
The flight had 60 passengers and four crew members and was being flown by a captain who had been with the airline for six years, officials said.
The first officer on the flight had also been with the company for two years.
Officials could not say how much experience the pilots in the military aircraft had.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the American Airlines jet’s collision with a military helicopter in DC
Thursday morning emergency officials switched from a rescue operation to a recovery operation, with DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly stating officials “don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident.”
Donnelly said authorities had recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter early Thursday morning, and were working to reunite the bodies with their loved ones
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