Washington DC Plane Crash: Trump Blames Biden’s Diversity Hires, Black Box Recovered
United States President Donald Trump, reacting to the tragic mid-air collision between.
The US Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines passenger jet, blamed the diversity policies which were implemented in the Obama administration as the investigators recovered the black box from the passenger jet.
Trump’s statement came after the US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet had a tragic mid-air collision after which both of them crashed in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC.
All the 67 people who were aboard the passenger flight and army helicopter have been presumed dead by the authorities. The rescuers have recovered at least 28 bodies from the Potomac River and the recovery operation is still on.
This is believed to be “the deadliest aviation disaster” in the history of the United States since 2001.
Trump Reignites Debate On Diversity Hires
The remarks made by Trump once again brought the debate around the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at the centre of the crash.
The US president claimed that such initiatives led to the prioritisation of policy over safety. “I put safety first. Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first. They actually came out with a directive: ‘Too white.’ And we want the people that are competent,” said Trump.
He also targeted former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and blamed him for hiring unqualified individuals who have psychological issues and disabilities for the positions in air traffic control. Trump said that the FAA was “ran into the ground” by DEI hires because it was deemed “too white”.
“The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website,” Trump said.
After the crash, Trump has taken the decision to appoint Chris Rocheleau as FAA’s acting administrator. The safety standards and hiring practices of the agency are likely to remain under intense scrutiny in the future. As per a report published by Reuters, the radio communications show that alerts were sent by the air traffic controllers to the helicopter regarding the approaching jet and it was asked to change its course.
Investigators Recover Black Box
The National Transportation Safety Board said that the black box with a cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder was recovered by the investigators from the passenger aeroplane. According to the agency, the recorders are a key component which will help them in constructing the last moments and circumstances which led to the mishap. The recorders are in the NTSB labs “for evaluation.”