The Tie-in of Trump’s New Administration and Recent Collisions
- Haarshitaa Chandra
- Feb 20
- 3 min read
A Brief Overview of Two of the Most Fatal Plane Crashes
News about the black hawk helicopter, which was going to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, broke out recently when the plane crashed with an American Airlines Regional Jet in DC, which carried 64 passengers. This mid-air accident caused 55 identified passenger deaths and 3 army deaths. The jet landed straight into the Potomac River near Washington DC, after the crash, making identification of casualties harder. Further, the officials did not reveal the name of the helicopter pilot for a long time because it was reported that the plane safety systems were turned off.
Another crash closely followed this incident- the Air Ambulance crash in Philadelphia, the cause of which is yet to be determined. This crash managed to take the lives of almost 25 people (mostly Mexicans), leaving 5 injured. The crash on Friday happened just blocks from the Roosevelt Mall, a three-storey shopping centre in a densely populated part of Philadelphia, the fifth biggest city in the US, which in turn caused the destruction of several shops and small businesses. The deadly crash is being investigated by the NTSB [ National Transportation Safety Board ] and the Federal Aviation Administration with assistance from other local agencies whose preliminary investigations revealed that the flight climbed to about 1,500 feet before going into a steep descent and making a high impact crash.
These fatal air crashes come only days after US President Donald Trump overhauled the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday, removing the heads of the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard before the official completion of their term. According to a press release dated January 22, Trump had also disbanded all members of a critical aviation security advisory group.
The question being asked now is that- how is it that these crashes and fatalities happened just 10 days after Trump signed an executive order freezing the hiring of Federal civilian employees, a decision that had been warned could lead to plane crashes. The hiring freeze stipulated that no federal civilian position vacant at noon on January 20 would be filled, and no new positions could be created. Trump on Thursday claimed, without citing evidence, that diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration -- under presidents of the Democratic Party were to blame for the tragic Airline and Black Hawk helicopter collision in Washington on Wednesday night.
The suspension of federal hiring does not affect military personnel or roles vital for immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety, and it's uncertain if this prevents the FAA from acquiring new air traffic controllers. Yet, Washington Representative Rick Larsen highlighted the seriousness of the impact, emphasising the importance of recruiting air traffic controllers as stipulated by the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.
The Ranking member has reportedly said that, “The bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 directs the Administration to hire the maximum number of air traffic controllers. That’s what the law says, so the Administration must rescind this ridiculous executive order,” according to an official release, “Hiring air traffic controllers is the number one safety issue. Instead of working to improve aviation safety and lower costs for hardworking American families, the Administration is choosing to spread bogus, DEI claims to justify this decision”.
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