'Helicopter knew there was a plane': Trump, US transportation secretary say deadly Washington DC crash was ‘preventable’

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the "helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area," in a press conference held on Thursday (Jan 30) morning about the Washington DC plane crash.

Duffy added, "We’re going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point but to back up what the president said and what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely."

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Earlier, US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane?"

An American Airlines regional jet carrying 64 people and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in mid-air before both crashed into the Potomac River on Wednesday (Jan 29) night. According to officials, 27 bodies have been recovered from the plane and one from the helicopter. Officials believe that “there are no survivors” left.

Air traffic controllers had warned the Army helicopter: Report

Air traffic controllers had warned the Army helicopter that it was getting dangerously close to an American Airlines passenger plane, moments before the collision. This was revealed in a recording of the air traffic control radio exchange, as reported by the New York Post.

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller radioed the helicopter, asking, "Have you spotted the CRJ?" This referred to American Airlines Flight 5342, a CRJ 700 aircraft, according to FlightRadar24.

The mid-air collision took place at precisely 8:48:48 pm on Wednesday night.

Timeline of events leading to the Washington, DC, plane crash

Based on preliminary flight maps and air traffic control audio, here's how the crash happened:

• 5:18 PM - American Airlines Flight 5342, a CRJ 700, departs from Wichita, Kansas, en route to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
• 8:39:40 PM - A U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter departs from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, on a training exercise with three personnel on board, flying north along the Potomac River from Langley, Virginia.

• 8:40 PM - Flight 5342 begins its approach towards Runway 33 at Reagan National, south of Washington, D.C.
• 8:48:38 PM - Air traffic control contacts the Army UH-60 helicopter, designated PAT25, and asks, "Do you have the CRJ in sight?" The helicopter pilot confirms visual contact and requests "visual separation," indicating an intention to get away from the plane’s path.
• 8:48:56 PM - Flight 5342 and the helicopter collide over the Potomac River at an altitude of approximately 300 feet. At the time, the plane was travelling at around 145 mph, based on the final readings from FlightRadar24. Air traffic controllers react in shock, with one heard asking, "Did you see that?"

(With inputs from agencies)