Recovery, probe underway in Washington air tragedy

Divers are expected to return to the Potomac River as part of the recovery and investigation after the US' deadliest aviation disaster in almost a quarter century.

The collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C, late Wednesday killed 67 people, including more than a dozen figure skaters.

Air crash investigations can take months, and federal investigators told reporters Thursday they would not speculate on the cause.


Chopper flew too high: Trump
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said the Army chopper involved in the mishap was flying too high at time of midair crash. "It was far above the 200 foot limit. That's not really too complicated to understand, is it???" Trump he said in a Friday morning post on his Truth Social platform.

The President's comments come the day after he questioned the actions of a US Army helicopter pilot involved in the midair collision with a commercial airliner, while also blaming diversity initiatives for undermining air safety.

The maximum altitude where the chopper was during the crash-along a published corridor called Route 4-was 200 feet above ground, as per Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that elevation seemed to be a factor in the crash.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth stresses importance of US military's 'continuity' training

The three-person Army crew on the UH-60 Blackhawk was conducting a continuity of government planning training mission at the time of the midair crash.