Tragic Plane Crash in D.C.

Elena Ralph

Staff Writer

Tragedy struck in January as American Airlines Flight 5342, carrying 64 passengers from Wichita Kansas to Reagan International Airport in Washington D.C., collided with a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter when making its final approach. The collision resulted in the killing of all 60 passengers, four crew members, and three active-duty U.S. Army Officers.

As Flight 5342 approached Reagan International Airport, Air Traffic Control (ATC) directed the crew to change runways to runway 33, which would be the second unfortunate course of events that ended in a fatal crash. The first was that flight 5342 was delayed for 20 minutes while waiting to take off in Wichita, which resulted in the plane still being in the air during the time of the crash.

At 5:18 pm, flight 5342 took off from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport. At 8:48 pm, a U.S. Army Blackhawk, which was flying above the designated helicopter altitude, flew into flight 5342. The National Transportation Safety Board, (NTSB) as well as the U.S. Army, are investigating the crash. Although they are still unsure about the crash’s cause, weather and communication do not appear to have impacted either pilot. There was only one ATC personnel in the tower directing the plane at the time of the crash.

President Donald Trump has begun to use this tragedy to promote his rollback of the federal diversity, equity, and inclusion policy. According to NBC News, the President stated in a press conference, “We have to have our smartest people [as air traffic controllers]…It doesn’t matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are… They have to be talented, naturally talented. Geniuses. Can’t have regular people doing their job.”

This was just the start of a string of aviation errors. On the Friday following the crash, a medical jet crashed in Northeast Philadelphia, and a Delta plane carrying Gongalze’s basketball team at LAX almost crashed. The Delta plane had to be evacuated due to engine failure after they had to abort take-off.

Ross Aimer, a retired United Airlines Captain, told the Oakland Tribune, “These near misses are extremely common.” Luckily, in the last three incidents, no one was severely injured. Unfortunately, the first two claimed the lives of 73 men, women, and children.