Quick Hit:

Donald Trump on Friday said the Army helicopter involved in Wednesday night’s fatal midair collision near Washington, D.C., was flying “too high.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the UH-60 Black Hawk was well above the 200-foot limit. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Pentagon are investigating the crash, which killed 67 people.

Key Details:

• Trump stated the Black Hawk “was flying too high, by a lot,” emphasizing that it had exceeded altitude restrictions.

• The New York Times reported the helicopter had requested to fly no higher than 200 feet but was above that limit at the time of the collision with an American Airlines flight approaching Reagan National Airport.

• The former president has alternated between blaming the helicopter’s altitude and questioning federal hiring practices for air traffic controllers, suggesting diversity initiatives may have impacted aviation safety.

Diving Deeper:

Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the deadly helicopter collision that occurred Wednesday night near Washington, D.C., suggesting the military aircraft was at fault for flying above altitude restrictions. “The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200-foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???” Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday.

The crash, which involved a UH-60 Black Hawk and an American Airlines flight on its final approach to Reagan National Airport, claimed the lives of more than 60 people. The New York Times reported Thursday that the helicopter had requested permission to fly lower but exceeded the agreed altitude at the time of impact. Both the NTSB and the Pentagon are investigating the cause of the collision.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Trump questioned the military helicopter’s presence in the flight path, stating, “The people in the helicopter should have seen where they were going. What was the helicopter doing in that track? Very sad. But visually, somebody should have been able to see and taken that helicopter out of play, and they should have been at a different height.”

Beyond the crash itself, Trump also pointed to federal hiring policies for air traffic controllers, arguing that diversity-focused hiring may have compromised aviation safety. “We want the most competent people, no matter what race they are… If they don’t have a great brain, a great power of the brain, they’re not going to be very good at what they do,” he said.

In response, Trump took immediate action by signing a memorandum on Thursday to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the aviation sector. He also issued an executive order appointing a new head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and launching a federal review of airline safety policies.