Trump Says Helicopter in DC Collision and Crash Was ‘Flying Too High’

The president made the comment in a Friday morning post on Truth Social.

President Donald Trump speaks about the midair crash between American Airlines flight 5342 and a military helicopter in Washington, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Jan. 30, 2025. Roberto Schmidt/AFP

President Donald Trump said on Friday that a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter was flying too high before it collided with an American Airlines-operated jet near Washington on Wednesday evening in the worst U.S. aviation disaster in decades.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that the Army “helicopter was flying too high, by a lot” and “was far above the 200 foot limit,” referring to the maximum altitude those helicopter flights can go.