Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took to social media to post a video statement regarding what happened Wednesday night when an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter collided, resulting in the deaths of dozens.
The crash occurred at about 9 p.m. EST outside Reagan National Airport, per Fox News.
“We do know on our side who was involved. It was a fairly experienced crew, and that was doing a required annual night evaluation,” Hegseth said in a video posted by the Department of Defense on X. “We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft was in the quarter at the right altitude at the time of the incident.”
Hegseth also addressed the personal aspect of the crash — the lives lost.
“It’s a tragedy, a horrible loss of life for those 64 souls on that civilian airliner. And of course, the three soldiers in that Black Hawk. They’re in our prayers, their families and their communities as people are notified,” Hegseth added.
Watch his comments below:
In a Thursday morning press conference, DC Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said nearly 30 bodies were recovered so far.
Authorities do not believe anyone survived, Donnelly said.
“We have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter,” he said. “Despite all these efforts, we are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was sworn-in hours before the collision.
He spoke of how safety is key for future travelers.
“Safety is our expectation. Everyone who flies in American skies expects that we fly safely, that when you depart an airport, you get to your destination. That didn’t happen last night,” Duffy said.
He added he believes the collision could have “absolutely” been prevented.
