Delta reveals information about pilots flying plane that crashed in Canada; CEO lauds flight crew for performing 'heroically'



Delta Air Lines has released information about the pilots who flew the plane that crash-landed in Canada. The airline released the information to counter "disinformation" posted on social media about the flight crew of Delta Flight 4819.

On Thursday night, Delta Air Lines released a statement to correct "misleading assertions" about the pilots of the Bombardier CRJ-900LR jet that flipped upside down while attempting to land at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday.

'You start thinking about your loved ones — my wife and children — and you just try to brace yourself.'

"Endeavor Air and Delta are correcting disinformation in social media containing false and misleading assertions about the flight crew of Endeavor Air 4819," the statement began.

Delta said the captain of the plane was hired in October 2007 by Mesaba Airlines, which merged with Pinnacle Airlines in 2012 to form Endeavor Air. Following a Chapter 11 reorganization, Endeavor Air became a wholly owned regional subsidiary of Delta Air Lines.

The statement noted, "He has served both as an active-duty captain and in pilot training and flight safety capacities."

Delta stressed, "Assertions that he failed training events are false. Assertions that he failed to flow into a pilot position at Delta Air Lines due to training failures are also false."

Regarding the first officer on the chaotic flight, she was hired by Endeavor Air in January 2024 and completed training last April.

"She has been flying for Endeavor since that time," Delta stated. "Her flight experience exceeded the minimum requirements set by U.S. federal regulations. Assertions that she failed training events are false."

CBS News reported that the first officer graduated from a university with an accredited and "well-respected aviation program," which enabled her to "start working with fewer than 1,500 hours under a Restricted Air Transport Pilot certificate."

The first officer surpassed the 1,500-hour mark and earned her full Airline Transport Pilot certificate, which is the highest-level pilot certification in the United States, in January 2023.

The airline company said both flight crew members are qualified and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said during a "CBS Mornings" interview that aired on Wednesday, "Our Endeavor crew performed heroically, but also as expected. The reality is that safety is embedded into our system.”

Bastian added, "We’re a very competitive industry across the U.S. airlines, but there’s one thing we do not compete on, and that’s safety. We all work together, and we all learn from each other."

"All these pilots train for these conditions," Bastian continued. "They fly under all kinds of conditions at all the airports in which we rate, so there's nothing specific with respect to experience that I'd look to."

The pilots attempted to land the commercial airliner at the Toronto Pearson International Airport, which had been hit by two winter storms in the days leading up to the plane crash.

Videos show the plane experiencing a rough landing, which may have caused the landing gear to collapse. The plane burst into flames, the right wing was torn off, and the aircraft flipped upside down.

Nate Richie, a passenger on the Delta flight, recalled the moment the plane rolled on the runway.

"We were jolted and started to roll," Richie told Fox News on Friday. "[There were] explosions and fire on the opposite side of the plane as we started rolling, [with] things flying through the air and bodies being jolted around."

Richie said special moments in his life flashed before his eyes, and he started to think: "This is it."

"You start thinking about your loved ones — my wife and children — and you just try to brace yourself," Richie explained.

Miraculously, there were no fatalities in the crash landing. However, 21 passengers were injured and needed to be hospitalized due to the air travel emergency.

As of Thursday morning, all 21 passengers were released from the hospital.

"The Delta and Endeavor families are grateful that all those injured Monday have been released from the hospital, and we extend our thanks to everyone who provided care to them over the past few days," Bastian said in a statement.

As Blaze News reported on Thursday, Delta Air Lines has offered the 76 passengers a compensation package of $30,000 apiece. The offer has "no strings attached," according to Delta.

The cause of the plane crash is still under investigation by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board with assistance from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

The aircraft's black box and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered from the wreckage.

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FACT CHECK: Viral X Image Purporting To Show Delta Jet That Flipped While Landing Is AI-Generated

A viral image shared on X purports to show a Delta jet that recently flipped over while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. TRUMP AIR DISASTER 8: US flight 4819 of Delta Airlines crash lands UPSIDE DOWN in Toronto marking the 8th plane crash in 20 days since Trump/Musk fired FAA/ATC staff #planecrash 1/29–D.C. 1/31–Penn […]

Videos: Terrifying moment Delta plane crashes, bursts into flames; passenger says airport's runways were in 'weird condition'



New videos captured the horrifying moment that a Delta Air Lines plane crash-landed at an airport in Canada. A passenger on the plane, which flipped upside down, noted that the airport's runways were in a "weird condition."

Delta Flight 4819 departed the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport around 11:47 a.m. on Monday and crash-landed at approximately 2:15 p.m. at the Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada.

'And when we hit, it was super hard. We hit the ground and the plane went sideways, and I believe we skidded on our side and flipped over on our back.'

The commercial airliner is a Bombardier CRJ-900LR jet operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air and was transporting 76 passengers and four crew members.

A new video shows the airplane approaching the snowy runway hard and fast. It appears that the rear landing gear collapses, forcing the fuselage to grind against the runway.

Suddenly, the plane bursts into flames. The force of the landing snaps off the right wing of the plane, causing the aircraft to roll and then flip upside down.

A large black plume of smoke hovered above the runway as the airliner ground to a halt.

TMZ obtained video from a different angle that shows the moment the aircraft crashed to the ground and a blaze erupted.

In newly released audio from air traffic control at the Canadian airport, an air travel official can be heard saying: "This airplane just crashed."

A second person says, "Just so you’re aware, there's people also walking around the aircraft there."

"Yeah, we’ve got it," someone is heard replying. "The aircraft there’s upside down and burning."

'It was mass chaos. … It’s an emotional roller coaster that you go through, but it’s things you hope you don’t see again.'

ABC News obtained video from inside the upside-down plane that showed passengers hanging from their seats inside the cabin after the aircraft stopped.

Passenger Pete Koukov told CNN that he "didn’t know anything was the matter" until the plane smashed into the ground.

"We hit the ground, and we were sideways, and then we were upside down hanging like bats,” Koukov said.

Another passenger – John Nelson – explained that there "was no warning" before the plane crash and that the aircraft hit the "snow-covered" runway "extremely hard."

"It was a typical flight from Minneapolis to Toronto,” he told CNN. "And we were coming in, and I did notice the winds were super gusty. The snow had kinda blown over the runways. So coming in was routine, but it was noticeable that the runways were in kind of a weird condition.”

“And when we hit, it was super hard. We hit the ground and the plane went sideways, and I believe we skidded on our side and flipped over on our back,” Nelson told CNN.

“It was just incredibly fast. There was a giant firewall down the side. I could actually feel the heat through the glass,” Nelson recalled. "Then we were going sideways. I'm not even sure how many times we tumbled, but we ended upside down."

Nelson continued, "We released the seat belts. I kind of fell to the floor, which is now the ceiling, and helped the lady next to me get out of her seat belt."

The shocked passengers attempted to "make a sense of what just had happened."

Another video shows a passenger fleeing the Delta plane as a flight attendant assists people out of the aircraft.

Firefighters quickly responded to the scene of the air travel accident to put out the flames and assist passengers out of the downed plane.

Astonishingly, an air travel disaster was avoided, and there were no fatalities in the terrifying plane crash. All 80 people on board survived. However, 21 people were injured, and three were reportedly in critical condition, including a 4-year-old child who was rushed to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. According to Delta Air Lines, all but two passengers have been released from the hospital as of Tuesday morning.

Koukov said, "Just feeling lucky and happy I got to give the person I didn’t know sitting next to me a big hug, that we were OK, and see my friends who are here to pick me up from the airport and give them a big hug."

Nelson added, "Thankfully everybody was okay. It was mass chaos. … It’s an emotional roller coaster that you go through, but it’s things you hope you don’t see again."

Delta Air Lines said in a statement on the X social media platform that it had deployed the airline's incident response team to Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian stated, "Our most pressing priority remains taking care of all customers and Endeavor crew members who were involved. We'll do everything we can to support them and their families in the days ahead, and I know the hearts, thoughts, and prayers of the entire Delta community are with them. We are grateful for all the first responders and medical teams who have been caring for them."

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will be in charge of the investigation into the Delta plane crash, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Air traffic safety has been a hot topic following several recent incidents, including when an American Eagle passenger jet collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter. The midair collision killed all 64 passengers and crew members of the doomed plane as well as the three soldiers on the Black Hawk helicopter.

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Watch: Small plane narrowly misses homes as it crashes to ground — pilot miraculously walks away unscathed



A doorbell camera caught the moment that a small plane crashed in a residential neighborhood in New Hampshire. Miraculously, the pilot was able to walk away from the plane crash unscathed.

Around 10:10 a.m. on Tuesday, a small plane crashed in a residential neighborhood in Hampton, New Hampshire — roughly 10 miles south of Portsmouth.

'I walked out without a scratch, and I’m fine.'

The pilot of the plane was attempting to land at the Hampton Airfield. However, the small plane crashed just a few dozen feet from a home.

A doorbell surveillance camera recorded the plane slamming into a tree, then spinning before crashing into a wooded area.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a news release, "A Luscombe 8A slid off the runway while the pilot was practicing landing and taking off again without stopping."

According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Luscombe 8A is a "two-place, high-wing, single-engine airplane, equipped with conventional landing gear."

Authorities said the plane had been secured and did not leak any fluids.

Officials said no one on the ground was injured.

Hampton Fire and Rescue said in a Facebook post, "Thankfully, the pilot — the sole occupant — was evaluated by EMS and is uninjured."

Dave Lennon — the pilot of the doomed aircraft — said he had flown out of Hampton Airfield hundreds of times.

"I was shooting for the end of the runway, and I just obviously didn’t make it," Lennon told WMUR-TV. "It was closer to the houses than I thought."

Lennon noted that something wasn't right with the plane while attempting to land.

"It started dipping, and I said to myself, 'Oh no,' and tried to hold onto it to keep it from stalling completely," Lennon explained.

Despite the plane violently slamming into the ground, Lennon somehow walked away from the plane crash unscathed.

"I walked out without a scratch, and I’m fine. That’s all I’ll say," he stated. "I'm just glad. It could have been much worse."

The crash was caught on a doorbell camera on the house of local resident Chris Martin. "He almost landed on the street," Martin said. "You know, thank God there weren't cars."

Martin added, "I'll tell you, it's pretty, pretty scary to know that you live next to an airport, and you see something like this."

The plane crash is being investigated.

Air traffic safety has been a hot-button topic in the past few weeks after multiple highly publicized plane accidents.

The deadliest air travel disaster in nearly 25 years occurred late last month when an American Eagle flight collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter. The midair collision took the lives of 67 people in Washington, D.C.

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Video shows deadly plane crash at Arizona airport involving jet of '80s rocker



A jet owned by the famous frontman of an '80s rock band crashed into another plane at an Arizona airport on Monday afternoon. The deadly plane collision was captured on video.

A jet owned by Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe was landing at Scottsdale Airport after departing from Austin, Texas. The plane initially landed safely. However, the plane "veered off the runway."

The plane crash at Scottsdale Airport is the most recent in a rash of air traffic emergencies.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement: "A Learjet 35A veered off the runway after landing and crashed into a Gulfstream G-200 business jet on the ramp at Scottsdale Municipal Airport in Arizona around 2:45 p.m. local time Monday, Feb. 10. Four people were on board the Learjet and one person was on board the Gulfstream."

The City of Scottsdale stated, "According to initial reports, the Learjet’s left main landing gear failed upon landing, leading to the collision."

Following the plane crash, flights were temporarily paused at Scottsdale Airport.

KPHO/KTVK obtained video of the moment that the rocker's jet crashed into another plane at Scottsdale Airport. Neil was not on the plane at the time of the crash.

A representative for Neil said in a statement:

At 2:39 p.m. local time, a Learjet aircraft Model 35A owned by Vince Neil was attempting to land at the Scottsdale Airport. For reasons unknown at this time, the plane veered from the runway causing it to collide with another parked plane. On board Mr. Neil’s plane were two pilots and two passengers. Mr. Neil was not on the plane. More specific details regarding the collision are not available as this is a rapidly evolving situation and there is an ongoing investigation. Mr. Neil’s thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved, and he is grateful for the critical aid of all first responders assisting today.

Scottsdale Fire Capt. Dave Folio said one person was killed, three others were hurt, and another victim didn't want medical treatment. KTRK-TV reported that two of the individuals injured were in critical condition and rushed to a local trauma center.

The FAA and NTSB are investigating the plane crash.

Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky said, "On behalf of the city of Scottsdale, we offer our deepest condolences to those involved in the accident and for those who have been taken to our trauma center for treatment. We will keep all affected by this tragedy in our prayers."

Jet Pros, which owns the Gulfstream G-200, told KTRK-TV that the plane sustained "external damages."

"We are cooperating fully with airport authorities and relevant agencies as they conduct a thorough review of the situation," Jet Pros said.

The plane crash at Scottsdale Airport is the most recent in a rash of air traffic emergencies.

Late last month, an American Eagle flight collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter at a low altitude near the Ronald Reagan National Airport. All 67 people involved in the midair collision died. The midair collision is the deadliest domestic plane crash in nearly 20 years.

Two days after the collision involving the passenger plane and the Black Hawk helicopter, a small plane crashed into a neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia. All six passengers on the plane and a person on the ground were killed; 22 people were injured in the plane crash.

As Blaze News reported earlier this month, a United Airlines airplane was forced to abort a "high-speed" takeoff after an engine burst into flames in Texas. All of the 104 passengers and crew safely evacuated the plane without injuries, according to officials.

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FACT CHECK: Viral X Post Falsely Claims Explosion In Philadelphia Was Caused By Missile

A viral video shared on X claims a recent explosion in Philadelphia was the result of a missile. This does not look like a plane coming down. This looks like a missle or comet, something launched directly down. THIS IS NOT A PLANE. LOOK AT THIS. JUST HAPPENED.#PhiladelphiaCrash#planecrash#Philadelphia#FireAid pic.twitter.com/dDVktU4lk5 — UNITY FRONTLINE (@UnityFrontLine) February 1, 2025 […]

DC plane crash update: Reagan airport employees arrested for allegedly leaking video of deadly midair collision to CNN



Two airport employees have been arrested for allegedly leaking to CNN surveillance video of last week's deadly collision between a commercial plane and a Black Hawk helicopter.

A pair of Maryland men are reportedly facing charges of computer trespass in connection with the leak of video of the midair crash in Washington, D.C., according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

The National Transportation Safety Board stated on Tuesday that the Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the midair collision was likely flying too high.

On Friday, police arrested 21-year-old Mohamed Lamine Mbengue of Rockville for reportedly leaking footage of the air travel disaster.

On Sunday, 45-year-old Jonathan Savoy, 45, of Upper Marlboro was arrested for his alleged role in the video leak.

Both men have since been released from the Arlington County Adult Detention Center.

Both suspects were employees of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

Authorities did not reveal how the suspects obtained or distributed the footage.

CNN obtained the chilling footage, which offered the clearest view of the moment an American Eagle flight collided with an Army Black Hawk at a low altitude last Wednesday near the Ronald Reagan National Airport. Both aircraft plummeted into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.

WTOP-FM reported that CNN anchor Kate Bolduan presented the video on Friday by saying the footage “appears to be surveillance video from the airport.”

The National Transportation Safety Board gave an update on its investigation into the deadly air travel disaster on Tuesday. The NTSB stated that the Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the midair collision was likely flying too high.

NTSB acquired flight traffic data that confirmed the Black Hawk helicopter was flying at 300 feet at the time of the deadly collision, which is 100 feet higher than the 200-foot ceiling for helicopters flying in the National Capital Region. The agency added that the information was taken from "the best-quality flight track data."

However, air travel safety officials noted that the data was rounded to the nearest 100 feet.

The NTSB stressed that this information is from a preliminary investigation and that details would need to be verified by other "data points."

Officials also said there was a sudden change in the plane's pitch, which indicates that the pilot attempted to increase altitude before the fatal crash.

"NTSB investigators continue to transcribe the cockpit voice recorders for both aircraft," the NTSB said in the statement. "Synchronization work for the Black Hawk flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder is ongoing."

As of Tuesday afternoon, recovery crews have retrieved all of the 67 people involved in the midair collision from the Potomac River, including 64 passengers and crew on the airliner and three crew members on the helicopter.

Recovery teams have begun to remove the CRJ700 passenger jet and Black Hawk helicopter from the Potomac River.

The Navy unit involved in recovering the wreckage was also involved in the response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last spring, said Col. Francis Pera of the Corps of Engineers.

Authorities have since restricted helicopters in the airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The midair collision is the deadliest domestic plane crash in nearly 20 years.

Two days after the commercial airliner and Black Hawk helicopter collision, a small medical plane crashed into a neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia. All six passengers on the plane as well as a person on the ground are believed to have been killed in the plane crash. There were also 22 people injured in the plane crash.

As Blaze News reported, a United Airlines airplane was forced to abort a "high-speed" takeoff on Sunday after an engine burst into flames in Texas. The plane, carrying 104 passengers, was able to safely evacuate all of the passengers and crew without injuries, according to authorities.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Saturday, "We've had a heart-wrenching week in aviation."

"A couple days ago, I had a chance to sit down with a few of the family members who lost loved ones in the D.C. crash. Their pain is unimaginable," Duffy stated. "I committed transparency to them. When I know information, I'm going to share it with them, but also with the American people."

The Blaze Originals documentary "Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster" investigates why there have been so many "close calls" of commercial airliners in recent times.

BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere's investigation unearthed several eyebrow-raising developments in how airports are using outdated technology, DEI practices that exclude the most qualified would-be air traffic controllers, and severely understaffed air traffic towers.

Billionaire Elon Musk shared the documentary on the X social media platform last week.

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New information on the Black Hawk-airliner collision only fuels new questions



More time has passed since the plane crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that resulted in the tragic loss of 67 lives — but there are still more questions than answers.

“The more that we see, the more information that we get, it just leaves you scratching your head going, ‘What the hell is going on?’” Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” comments.

In a video released of the collision, the Black Hawk helicopter flies through the clear skies and straight into the American Airlines flight.

“It just boggles the mind how this could happen on a clear night,” Gonzales says, noting that the helicopter “seemed to be barreling full speed ahead into the plane” and was flying “outside of its approved flight path.”


President Donald Trump also commented on the devastating crash, writing in a post on Truth Social that “The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot.”

“It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???” He continued.

“I very much appreciate president Trump’s transparency here, because that is what the American people need, and he has been very transparent since the moment it happened in blasting this and saying ‘we have to get to the bottom of this,’” Gonzales comments.

“There’s human error, but half a mile on a clear night. I’m just saying, it’s not completely out of reach that some of the comments online are ‘Was this intentional?’” BlazeTV contributor Jaco Booyens chimes in.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Eric July adds.

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Video: United Airlines plane aborts high-speed takeoff after engine bursts into flames



In the latest air traffic emergency, a United Airlines plane was forced to abort a takeoff after an engine burst into flames while accelerating down an airport runway in Texas.

United Airlines flight UA1382 was departing Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Sunday and was bound for New York City's LaGuardia Airport. The Airbus A319-100 plane was carrying 104 passengers and five crew members on board.

"We've had a heart-wrenching week in aviation."

The plane began to taxi down the runway at 8:35 a.m., when passengers noticed that a fire broke out on one of the wings.

Ashlyn Sharp, a passenger on the malfunctioning plane, provided video of the fiery plane to KRIV-TV.

The video shows large flames and black smoke flowing from the wing of the plane.

Sharp told KRIV-TV, "It sounded like something flew into the engine or something. [It] scared everyone. That's when we all looked out our window and saw the engine and the wing on fire, and we could smell the smoke inside."

The video shows a flight crew member instructing the passengers to stay seated when someone on the plane yells, "No! It's a fire!"

Another passenger is heard saying on the video, "Please, please get us out of here."

The Aviation Herald reported that the Airbus A319-100 plane was traveling at a "high speed" of about 115 knots (approximately 130 mph) when the engine malfunctioned.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement, "The crew of United Airlines Flight 1382 safely aborted its takeoff from the George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport in Texas due to a reported engine issue around 8:35 a.m. local time on Sunday, Feb. 2."

The United Airlines plane stopped on the runway, where emergency vehicles rushed to the scene to put out the fire.

The passengers were evacuated from the plane and bused to the airport terminal.

The Houston Fire Department stated it assisted in deboarding the passengers and that there were no reported injuries.

The FAA has launched an investigation into the engine malfunction.

There have been multiple air traffic emergencies in recent times.

As Blaze News reported last week, an American Eagle passenger jet collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter on Wednesday. All 62 passengers and two crew members of the doomed plane as well as the three soldiers on the Black Hawk helicopter are presumed dead.

As of Sunday, the remains of 55 of the 67 victims had been recovered and positively identified, according to John Donnelly — the chief of Washington’s fire and emergency medical services department.

The mid-air collision is the deadliest domestic plane crash in nearly 20 years.

Dive teams have been surveying the wreckage and are expected to begin to extract the aircraft out of the Potomac River on Monday.

Officials said they expect to remove all of the plane and helicopter wreckage by Feb. 12, according to the New York Times.

The Navy unit involved in recovering the wreckage was also involved in the response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last spring, said Col. Francis Pera of the Corps of Engineers.

Two days after the collision involving the passenger plane and Black Hawk helicopter, a small plane crashed into a neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia. All six passengers on the plane as well as a person in a car are believed to have been killed in the plane crash. There were also 22 people injured in the plane crash. Five of the victims remain hospitalized, and three are reportedly in critical condition.

The Learjet 55 departed from an airport in Florida and arrived in Northeast Philadelphia around 2:15 p.m. on Friday. The jet was on the ground for a few hours before departing for the Springfield-Branson National Airport in Springfield, Missouri, around 6:06 p.m. on Friday.

GPS data revealed the medical jet climbed approximately 1,500 feet into the air before taking a slight right turn, followed by a slight left turn, and then a steep descent before the plane went into a "high-impact" crash, according to officials.

The entire flight was reportedly less than one minute.

The airplane slammed into a busy intersection near the Roosevelt Mall — an outdoor shopping plaza in Philadelphia.

According to CBS News, a small medical jet was transporting a Shriners Children's Hospital patient, her mother, and four crew members. The girl was being treated for a "life-threatening" illness in the United States before returning to Mexico.

Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that six people on the plane were Mexican nationals.

The FAA is investigating the plane crash in Philadelphia.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Saturday, "We've had a heart-wrenching week in aviation."

"A couple days ago, I had a chance to sit down with a few of the family members who lost loved ones in the D.C. crash. Their pain is unimaginable," Duffy stated. "I committed transparency to them. When I know information, I'm going to share it with them, but also with the American people."

"Up in Philadelphia, we've sent a team of FAA investigators in conjunction with the NTSB," Duffy continued. "We're not going to have answers right away. It's going to take time. But as I get those answers, I'm going to share that with all of you."

Duffy vowed to provide any resources from the Department of Transportation to assist Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Duffy said helicopter travel is restricted in the airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump named Chris Rocheleau as acting FAA administrator to fill the position that has been unfulfilled since Inauguration Day.

Rocheleau has served the FAA for more than 20 years in multiple roles, including deputy associate administrator for aviation safety, chief of staff, deputy associate administrator for policy, international affairs and environment, executive director for international affairs, and director of national security programs, emergency operations, and investigations.

Watch the Blaze Media original documentary "Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster," which first debuted in November.

BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere went on a mission to discover why there have been so many "close calls" of commercial airliner collisions in recent times.

Burguiere's investigation revealed several eyebrow-raising developments on how airports are using outdated technology, DEI practices that exclude the most qualified would-be air traffic controllers, and severely understaffed air traffic towers.

Billionaire Elon Musk shared the documentary on the X social media platform last week.

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'As predicted': Elon Musk highlights Blaze Media's shocking FAA documentary from November



Back in November, BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere set out on a mission to discover why “close calls” — narrowly avoided commercial airliner collisions — surged to nearly three per week in the past year. Blaze Media released his documentary, “Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster.”

His investigation exposed several disturbing facts about America’s Federal Aviation Administration. From the use of outdated technology to DEI hiring policies that weed out the most qualified would-be air traffic controllers, leaving towers and radar rooms severely understaffed, it was evident that disaster was on the horizon.

Regrettably, disaster struck on Wednesday, January 29, when an American Eagle domestic flight collided in midair with a United States military helicopter in its final descent to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C., before crashing into the Potomac River. All 67 passengers aboard both aircraft have been declared dead.

Following the incident, President Donald Trump, whose recent executive order required the secretary of transportation and the FAA administrator to “immediately stop Biden DEI hiring programs and return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring,” suggested that the collision was preventable.

“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!” he posted to Truth Social.

Further, on Thursday morning, Trump, speaking from the White House briefing room, criticized the “FAA diversity push” that focused on “hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities.”

“Brilliant people have to be in those positions," he said, while still maintaining that the exact cause of the crash was unclear.

Elon Musk has since echoed Trump’s remarks about the collision being likely preventable.

Yesterday he reposted the trailer for “Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster” with the caption “As predicted.”

— (@)

“We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas," Trump added during the briefing.

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