Was a faulty military helicopter involved in the US crash? Claims that 'Trump is protecting the military'

12punto FOREIGN NEWS

The US has experienced its deadliest aviation disaster in the last 20 years. A US military helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington on Wednesday night. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River. Following the accident, it was alleged that the military helicopter, which should not have been in the civilian flight zone according to US aviation regulations, may have caused the crash.

US President Donald Trump had blamed the control tower staff shortly after the accident. However, appearing before cameras approximately 12 hours after the incident, Trump stated that he believed the fault lay with the passenger plane's pilot.

The plane's black box was found hours after Trump's second statement. In aviation, standard procedure dictates that accident analysis is conducted after black boxes are opened. Black boxes contain information on 'almost everything' that happens during flights.

Some figures close to the Democrats suggested that Trump's consecutive statements were intended to protect the military. It is known that there are close relations between Trump and high-ranking figures in the military.

Later, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who provided information to the press regarding the accident, announced that the helicopter involved in the crash was on a training flight.

ALLEGATION THAT THE HELICOPTER ENTERED THE CIVILIAN FLIGHT CORRIDOR

Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell, the author of aviation safety reform laws, raised concerns about the safety problems created by the separation of military and commercial flights by as little as 350 feet (107 m).

In her interview regarding the accident, Cantwell stated the following:

'The biggest question on my mind is why are you conducting a military training flight on a route used by civilian aircraft... Why is the corridor reserved for training flights right above the civilian flight corridor?... I cannot imagine that visual separation can be maintained at such close range... This makes no sense.'

A 2021 report stated that approximately 11,000 military helicopter flights were conducted annually within 30 miles of Ronald Reagan Airport.

WAS THE BLACK HAWK'S EQUIPMENT INCOMPLETE?

Cantwell also reported that it was a 'problematic practice' for the Federal Aviation Administration to have allowed military aircraft to fly without Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) equipment installed since 2018. ADS-B is known as an advanced military surveillance technology used to track aircraft position.

Regarding the military helicopter, Hegseth provided the information that, 'It was a very experienced crew and they were performing their mandatory annual night evaluation.'

It was announced that there might have been an altitude problem with the Black Hawk type helicopter involved in the crash. It was conveyed that military investigators are looking into the matter.

News Source: 12punto