Two fatal plane crashes within a week leave Americans stunned

Photo Courtesy of Public Domain

In the past month there have been two major plane crashes that have sparked fear among many.

An American Airlines passenger plane that was flying from Wichita, Kansas to Reagan National Airport in Virginia crashed into a military helicopter as it was approaching its landing.  The helicopter and the plane collided and both fell into the Potomac River, leaving no survivors.

There have been 67 presumed deaths, which makes this the deadliest collision in decades. The military helicopter was flying along the Potomac River for a training flight carrying three soldiers aboard. The American Eagle Flight was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. There have been at least 55 bodies recovered from the icy, cold waters of the Potomac River, and they are continuing to try to clean up debris and recover the bodies that tragically died in this fatal crash, according to an ABC news article from Jan. 31. 

The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) is directing the investigation along with the help of other agencies and the Department of Defense. The NTSB has stated that they have recovered the black boxes belonging to the American Airlines flight, which can help investigators determine the cause of the plane collision and details of the flight. Even though there have been theories regarding the reason for why the plane collision happened, the NTSB has stated that it is still too early to speculate and they do not want to get ahead of themselves and stated that they will release a preliminary report within 30 days. It is reported that he Black Hawk helicopter was flying above the maximum altitude permitted for the route it was using, even though the control tower’s radar showed the helicopter at only 200 feet. This could relate to a possible cause of the collision but that is not confirmed, according to a USA Today article from Feb. 3. 

At the time of the collision, there was only one air traffic controller who was taking part in a job that is usually made for two air traffic controllers. While the FAA has stated that this is not supposed to occur, it often does when flight traffic is quiet and the air traffic control supervisor decides it is safe.  Throughout the past few years air traffic controllers have been working extremely long hours in a very stressful job and it appears that most air traffic controllers are overworked, according to a CNN article from Jan. 31. 

Many of the identities of the victims have been reported. Among the deceased were members of the U.S. figure skating team who were returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. 

Many of these 67 people who died as a result of this collision had loved ones and friends who will forever be impacted by this unspeakable tragedy. 

President Donald Trump has pointed blame of the plane collision to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)  policies and has stated that the time and money spent on ensuring that there has been DEI in the aviation industry has caused pilots and others to be less trained and experienced, according to an Associated Press article from Jan. 30.

In addition to this crash,  on Friday, Jan. 31., a medevac flight flying from Philadelphia to Missouri with the final destination Mexico crashed in a busy area of Philadelphia. The flight was carrying six people including a child who just received life-saving treatment at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. The cause of this plane crash is still undetermined. The crash led to fatalities on the jet and one person on the ground. There were also 19 injured, according to an Associated Press article from Feb. 1.