THE WASHINGTON POST: As questions linger about cause of plane crash, GOP continues to point to diversity
Questions probing the failures that led to a deadly midair collision last week remained unanswered as investigators continued gathering clues, mourners gathered to lay a wreath near the crash site and Republicans took aim at diversity initiatives in the federal hiring process.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy during an appearance on CNN noted several outstanding lines of inquiry surrounding the fatal crash between an Army helicopter and a passenger plane over the Potomac River.
“What was happening inside the tower. Were they understaffed? Was it a right decision to consolidate the positions of the air traffic controllers from two to one? Those are questions that we need answers to,” Duffy said.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“And the position of the Black Hawk. The elevation of the Black Hawk. Were the pilots of the Black Hawk wearing night vision goggles? Did it affect their peripheral vision or their perception? Also, if they did have night vision goggles on, why are they flying at 9 at night when DCA is so busy? They should be flying at 1 in the morning. That’s information we don’t have yet.”
The Washington Post has reported staffing levels were “not normal” the night the commercial plane collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter near Reagan National Airport, and data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows the airport is three certified professional controllers below its staffing target of 28.
On Saturday, the National Transportation Safety Board shared additional details from its investigation into the crash, saying it recovered data from a recorder that was on the commercial jetliner. The data revealed the final moments before the plane collided with the helicopter, including that there was a “verbal reaction” on board before the plane’s nose slightly lifted upward. Authorities said they had the helicopter’s recorder and were confident they will be able to get data off it. They are hoping to find clarity about the exact altitude of the helicopter and whether its three-member crew were using night vision goggles.
The FAA also said a system for sending safety alerts to pilots was operational after an outage that began Saturday evening. The FAA said a backup plan was in place while the alert system, known as NOTAM, was temporarily out. It is investigating the cause of the outage.
Meanwhile, Republican leaders have further blamed federal diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that President Donald Trump has said are an underlying issue that contributed to the crash. No evidence has emerged that DEI played a role in the accident, and the claims have drawn sharp criticism for casting blame without full details of the cause of the crash.
Speaking on Fox News, Vice President JD Vance blamed air traffic control staffing shortages on hiring practices under Democratic administrations, saying that diversity initiatives affected hiring.
“We want to make sure that we try to never have an aviation accident like this again or at least make them as minimal as possible,” Vance said. “And that does, I think, mean that we have to talk about the DEI policies. Now here’s the specific way in which I think the DEI policies of the last administration, the Obama administration, contributed to where we are.”
On “Face the Nation,” Rep. Brian Mast (R-Florida) said a federal government push to diversify the workforce under Trump’s predecessors weakened performance, including at the FAA. Mast said that “diversity and inclusion” was prioritised over “excellence and performance.”
Mourners gathered Sunday morning at the end of Runway 33 - the stretch of tarmac that Flight 5342 was meant to land on. The crowd at the airport was surrounded by police cars and motorcycles as they watched a small boat travel from the runway to the site of the wreckage, and two people aboard dropped a wreath in the water over the mangled airplane.
None of the 60 passengers or four crew members aboard the flight are believed to have survived. The disaster’s victims include young figure skaters with big dreams, a civil rights attorney and a health-care consultant returning from a work trip.
All three U.S. soldiers aboard the helicopter also died.
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Mariana Alfaro, Daniel Gilbert and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez contributed to this report.
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