Quotes
The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT; the lights on the plane were blazing,
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform
We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,
said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital
Three seconds later, and at that point it was banked all the way to the right... I could see the underside of it; it was lit up a very bright yellow, and there was a stream of sparks underneath it,
Schulman saidWe have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter,
said the fire chief
These responders found extremely frigid conditions. They found heavy wind. They found ice on the water, and they operated all night in those conditions,
Donnelly saidWe unfortunately see that these sad reports are being confirmed. Our other fellow citizens were there,
Kremlin spokesman Dmit-ry Peskov saidInitially I saw the plane and it looked fine, normal. It was right about to head over land,
he told CNN
I would just say that everyone who flies in American skies expects that we fly safely,
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said
From what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”
Asked about President Donald Trump suggesting in a social media post that the collision could have been prevented, Duffy said
We're going to be out there as long as it takes,
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser told reportersOn final approach into Reagan National it collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach,
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom saidYou should be assured that when you fly, you’re safe,
he saidI think you have to look at this with eyes wide open, see what happened,
Ogles said on the Fox Business Network
I think that while they would have been told to switch runways, it's not this aggressive maneuver in a regional jet that would prompt them to reposition and be a surprise to the Black Hawk,
he saidThe crash] just could have been [caused by DEI policies],
he saidThis was not unusual with a military aircraft flying over the river and aircraft landing at DCA,
Duffy said, referring to the airport
We’re really not doing things differently. We do all we can to promote safety but, at the end of the day, what we do is dangerous,
Cummings saidWe look at the human, the machine and the environment,
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters Thursday
It would have been very difficult to see and avoid,
Winslow saidHelicopter pilots can’t be just constantly leaning forward or backward, because you could become disoriented,
Pruchnicki said