WASHINGTON, USA — Aviation experts and industry professionals are pushing back against President Donald Trump’s assertion that diversity hiring initiatives contributed to the deadly midair collision over the Potomac River, calling his comments misleading and unfounded.
The crash, which occurred on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, involved an American Airlines regional jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members and a U.S. Army Sikorsky H-60 helicopter.
Officials have confirmed there are no survivors, with at least 27 bodies recovered from the plane and one from the helicopter so far.
Trump’s Unverified Claims
At a White House briefing on Thursday, Trump claimed that hiring standards for air traffic controllers had declined under previous Democratic administrations, blaming diversity policies for a supposed drop in aviation competence.
“We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system,” Trump said.
“I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary.”
He continued: “Only the highest aptitude. They have to be the highest intellect and psychologically superior people were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers. That was not so prior to getting there.”
Trump also criticised former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, claiming his focus on diversity initiatives weakened aviation safety.
“He ran the Department of Transportation into the ground with his diversity,” Trump said.
Aviation Experts Reject Trump’s Assertions
Industry professionals swiftly refuted Trump’s claims, saying there is no evidence linking diversity efforts to a decline in aviation safety standards.
Tennessee Garvey, a pilot and chair of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, called Trump’s remarks “very concerning”, telling CNN that diversity initiatives have never been tied to any aviation accidents or incidents.
“It sends the wrong information and it also sends miscommunication about truly what diversity hiring is,” Garvey said.
Garvey, who has worked in aviation for 22 years, said that hiring standards have not been lowered, and if anything, have increased over time.
“There are very stringent standards in place that have allowed aviation in the United States to be very safe,” he said.
“Irrespective of your background or your skin colour, everyone has to go through the same training programme.”
He added that ongoing training and rigorous certification ensure that both pilots and air traffic controllers maintain high levels of proficiency.
“There has never been a lowering of any standards,” Garvey said.
Army Pilots Considered Experienced
While the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, initial reports indicate that the pilots of the military helicopter were experienced.
According to Army official Jonathan Koziol, a retired CW5 aviation expert, the instructor pilot of the Black Hawk helicopter had about 1,000 flight hours, while the co-pilot being evaluated had 500 hours.
Koziol noted that Black Hawk training missions typically last two hours, meaning the pilots had considerable experience in the aircraft.
Father of Deceased Pilot Speaks Out
Among the victims was 28-year-old Samuel Lilley, the first officer on the American Airlines flight.
His father, Timothy Lilley, a former Army helicopter pilot, expressed grief and frustration over the crash, saying he believes the commercial jet followed proper procedures, but the military helicopter made a tragic error.
“From what I can see, those guys turned right into the jet. I think the PSA jet was doing everything right. The Army pilot made a grave error. It hurts me because those are my brothers, and now my son is dead,” Lilley told Fox 5 Atlanta.
Lilley, who served 20 years as a helicopter pilot in the Army, said that flying over the Potomac at night is difficult, particularly with night vision goggles.
“I used to fly in and out of the Pentagon regularly, and I can tell you if you are flying on the route over the Potomac and wearing night vision goggles, it’s going to be very hard to see that plane. If you’re not wearing the goggles, then you might have a chance,” he said.
Investigation Ongoing
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have not yet released any preliminary findings on the cause of the collision.
The head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association cautioned that it is “premature to speculate on root cause” and urged waiting for factual conclusions from investigators.
Families Await Answers
For now, recovery efforts continue, with search crews working in difficult conditions to retrieve victims from the Potomac River.
As aviation professionals push back against Trump’s claims, families of the victims are left grieving and searching for answers about what led to the catastrophic collision.
