American Airlines CEO praises and thanks Trump for response after Washington plane crash
The company assured that it will work closely with the administration and Congress in the coming days to strengthen aviation safety.
An American Airlines plane
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed appreciation to President Donald Trump for his leadership on aviation safety following the mid-air collision between a military helicopter and a passenger jet near Washington, D.C.
In a statement issued Friday, Isom emphasized the speed with which the Trump administration acted to restrict helicopter activity at Reagan National Airport (DCA).
"We are all hurting as we continue to grieve the loss of our passengers and team members," Isom stated. "I thank President Trump for his leadership on aviation safety. I applaud him, Secretary Duffy and the Administration for taking quick and decisive action today to restrict helicopter activity around DCA."
He further assured that American Airlines will work closely with the administration and Congress in the coming days to strengthen aviation security by driving investments in infrastructure, technology and personnel.
Investigation progress
As investigations continue, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) offered developments during a news conference and reported the recovery of the black box from the Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash.
NTSB member J. Todd Inman confirmed that the device is intact and free of external damage, providing confidence in the integrity of the data.
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Also, officials provided new details about the two black boxes from the passenger jet, recovered Thursday. The data recorder is in "good condition," and teams are already working on downloading the information.
As for the voice recorder, Inman said water ingress was detected, but the NTSB has applied standard procedures for its recovery, immersing it in ionized water before placing it in a vacuum oven to remove moisture. Officials maintain a "high level of confidence" that the information can be extracted.
Meanwhile, the helicopter restriction on Reagan National Airport airspace remains in place as a precautionary measure.
The incident
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report, the control tower was operating with fewer personnel than usual at the time of the crash. The lack of controllers forced a single operator to simultaneously manage takeoffs, landings and helicopter traffic, a task that normally requires at least two people. However, an investigation is still underway.
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