Deadly D.C. Plane Crash Comes Months After Congress Ignored Warning About Traffic at Reagan Airport

[Uncle Joe]

Rescue workers in Washington, D.C., have launched a massive recovery operation in the Potomac River after a regional passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair late Wednesday, with both aircraft crashing into the water. American Airlines Flight 5342 had 60 passengers and four crew members on board and was en route to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from Wichita, Kansas. The Black Hawk helicopter had three soldiers on board conducting a training flight. Officials believe there are no survivors. The deadly crash comes amid upheaval and staffing changes in the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration due to President Donald Trump's ongoing purge across federal government agencies. Journalist David Sirota of The Lever says the airport also recently had its air traffic increased by lawmakers despite objections. "There is a very deep safety concern at this airport because there had been a series of near misses," says Sirota. "These warnings about expanding the flight traffic at this airport came just a few months ago." He also discusses the first 10 days of the Trump administration.

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[JustAnotherGen]

1. Ugh

David Sirota - they have to find someone better than him to do this. He' used to be pretty nasty to Black women on Twitter. Myself included. I hope he's cleaned up his act now that we are barreling towards Fascism.

[OMGWTF]

2. My brother had a long career as a Navy pilot, then a commercial pilot, then he designed flight decks.

Dude knows airplanes. He was part of the Commercial Aviation Safety Team and told me he hated flying into and out of National Airport.

[malthaussen]

3. There's irony for you.

Deadly plane crash due to ATC deficiency at the airport named for the guy who gutted the ATC system.

-- Mal