American Airlines plane crash: Donald Trump says collision should have been prevented, questions ‘why didn’t…’

American Airlines plane crash: United States President Donald Trump has in a post on his social media platform Truth Social said that he believes the Washington plane crash “should have been prevented”.

In the blistering post Donald Trump questioned the tactics of the military helicopter and the air traffic controllers. Both these agencies report to him as the president, according to an AP report.

What Did Donald Trump Say?

Donald Trump questioned why both agencies could not take decisions that would have prevented the devastating crash.

Writing on Truth Social: “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. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”

In another post he added, “What a terrible night this has been. God Bless you all!”

Latest Updates on Army helicopter, Passenger Plane Crash in Washington DC

• An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members onboard collided with an Army helicopter with three soldiers aboard while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington DC.
• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet "collided in midair" with a Sikorsky H-60 (Black Hawk) helicopter as it approached for landing at Reagan at around 9 pm (0200 GMT).
• A large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River has been launched to search for the injured and deceased.

• One source told AP that “multiple fatalities” have been reported, but the number of victims is still unclear. No official death toll or injury numbers or survivors information have been released yet.
• CBS News had reported that at least 18 bodies had been recovered, citing a police official. 
• Reuters cited two sources to report “multiple bodies had been pulled from the water”.
• There was also no immediate word on the cause of the collision, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport were halted while helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene.
• An audio of the final conversation between American Airline pilot and air traffic controller before plane crash has gone viral online.

(With inputs from Agencies)