‘Black Hawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot’: Donald Trump makes MAJOR disclosure in US plane crash

US President Donald Trump revealed on Friday that the Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in a collision with a regional passenger jet near Washington, DC, was flying too high at the time of the accident.

Donald Trump on Friday, took to social media platform Truth Social and said, “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???”

US military helicopters regularly fly a route over the Potomac river near the busy Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, known as Route 4. For safety reasons, the altitude on those helicopter flights is capped at 200 feet (61 meters).

On January 29, a catastrophic mid-air collision occurred near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, when an American Airlines regional jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter, resulting in both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River and claiming the lives of all 67 individuals on board.

The incident took place around 9 pm in one of the world's most tightly controlled airspaces, just over three miles south of the White House and the US Capitol. Following the collision, search-and-rescue efforts quickly transitioned into a recovery operation, with emergency responders locating multiple bodies in the river.

The regional jet, which had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, was preparing to land when it collided with the military helicopter that was engaged in a training exercise and carrying three soldiers. The skies were clear at the time of the accident, and air traffic controllers had cleared the jet for landing shortly before the crash.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that there appeared to be an elevation issue with the Black Hawk, prompting an investigation by Army officials. Both pilots of the helicopter were experienced, with one having logged 1,000 flying hours. The third soldier was a crew chief, typically riding in the back of the helicopter.

The helicopter was operated by the 12th Aviation Battalion based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, which is responsible for conducting flights in the capital area and regularly transports senior government officials.