67 die in mid-air 'preventable' crash

'No survivors' as US Army chopper collides with plane

- By Christopher Bucktin

DONALD Trump has appeared to blame "lower intelligence" air traffic controllers and his political foes for the collision of a passenger jet and a US Army helicopter that killed all 67 people on board.

The newly-installed President turned the Washington tragedy political, criticising Barack Obama's and Joe Biden's administrations for the quality of aviation control staff - but he also admitted: "We did not know what led to this crash."

Mr Trump said "Sadly, there are no survivors" and added: "This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented."

The jet - an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ-700 with 60 passengers and four crew - was on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with a UH-60 Black Hawk chopper carrying three soldiers on routine night training.

Both wrecked planes plunged into the icy Potomac river, where a huge search for survivors quickly turned into a heartbreaking recovery mission instead.

Questions were soon asked about how such a sophisticated military aircraft could apparently fly straight into the passenger service.

President Trump wrote: "The air- plane was on a perfect and routine line of approach...the helicopter was going straight at the airplane.

"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... NOT GOOD!!!!"

Sean Duffy, the new Transportation Secretary, said: "To back up what the President said, what I've seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely."