Trump Blames D.C. Plane Crash On DEI; Evidence Says Otherwise

Story by Judah Hillman. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

On Wednesday, January 29, just a week after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, a military helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet as it approached Ronald Reagan National Airport, marking a tragic start to the year and an uneasy start to Trump's second presidential term. On this solemn winter evening in our nation’s capital, American Airlines flight 5342 was carrying 64 passengers and crew from Wichita, Kansas to Washington, D.C. when it plunged into the Potomac River after colliding with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. 

When President Trump was asked about the crash, he blamed it on DEI, the practice of diversity, equity, and inclusion within federal government agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA is a government agency that oversees all aviation transportation in the U.S. When a major accident involving commercial airlines occurs, the FAA contacts the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent government agency appointed by Congress that is in charge of investigating transportation accidents. 

The official report released by the NTSB confirmed that the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter likely had some miscommunication with air traffic control in regards to what altitude the aircraft was at seconds before the crash. There is no explanation yet as to why, but the helicopter was above its 200-foot limit, which resulted in its inevitable collision with the American Airlines jet.

Doubling down on the blame he placed on DEI, President Trump noted during his news briefing about the crash that only people of “superior intellect” should be allowed to take on high risk occupations like pilots and air traffic controllers. During the briefing, President Trump spoke with PBS NewsHour and said, “The FAA diversity push [for] inclusion focuses on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities,” implying that the crash was caused by someone with a severe disability. As of now, there is no concrete evidence that the plane crash was due to the fault of anyone with disabilities.

Despite Trump placing the blame on DEI for this tragic plane crash, it wasn’t directly caused by people of diverse backgrounds. To make matters worse, his focus on DEI has overshadowed the lives lost in this crash.

The crew responsible for the Army aircraft that collided with the commercial jet were identified as Captain Rebecca M. Lobach, 19, of North Carolina; Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, of Georgia; and Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Maryland. O'Hara was the crew chief and Eaves and Lobach were pilots. The professionally trained and qualified crew members involved in the crash were all white and none had disabilities.

The pilot of flight 5342, Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, was from Puerto Rico, a U.S territory. He earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, one of the top universities in the South. He went on to pilot for American Airlines for 6 years before his tragic death. 

Flight 5342 carried 64 passengers, 4 of whom were crew members. Out of the many passengers on board, there were more than 20 figure skaters and their coaches who were returning from an exciting national camp and were preparing for a promising future. One of these promising young athletes was 16-year-old South Korean figure skater Spencer Lane, who skated for The Skating Club of Boston. His adoptive mother, Christine, was also on board. Many of the figure skaters on the flight were still in high school, and accompanied by their parents. These families tragically lost their lives. 

No one deserves to have their life cut short or incorrectly blamed for this tragedy.

Judah Hillman is a junior at Friendship Tech Prep Academy.