Former congressman Adam Kinzinger knocked down president Donald Trump's claims about a deadly air collision in Washington, D.C.
The former president has blamed underqualified aviation safety workers – whom he suggested were Black, women or people with disabilities – for the midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army helicopter, but Kinzinger wrote on his Substack page that he's gained immense respect for those tasked with keeping the skies safe in the nation's capital.
"Flying into Washington, D.C., is an experience unlike any other," Kinzinger wrote. "During my time in Congress, I commuted weekly from my home in Illinois to D.C., flying into Maryland’s 2W5 airport. For me, it was about the most therapeutic experience to either prepare for a busy week, or decompress from one ... I’ve seen firsthand just how busy and complex the airspace around our nation’s capital can be. Yet, despite the constant flow of commercial, general aviation, and military aircraft, the system works remarkably well due to the professionalism of air traffic controllers and the strict rules governing flight operations."
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The airspace around Washington is some of the most tightly controlled in the world, with Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) and Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ) to prevent unauthorized aircraft from entering sensitive areas, and helicopters are a constant presence in the skies above the city flying a variety of missions.
"These helicopter routes are tightly regulated and designed to keep rotary-wing aircraft safely separated from fixed-wing traffic," Kinzinger wrote. "It’s a carefully choreographed system that keeps the city moving while ensuring safety remains the top priority."
Air travel remains one of the safest modes of transportation, thanks to the layers of regulation, technology and training in the aviation industry, and he said the president's comments are unhelpful, at the very least.
"Unfortunately, former President Donald Trump has already begun making accusations about fault, well before any official findings have been released," Kinzinger said. "In fact, his narratives have vacillated between insane Grandpa, and 4 year old ... Honest to God, [he] sounds like a grade schooler is asking questions (sorry to grade schoolers…we love ya)."
Trump has been speculating about the cause of the crash, which he claimed was caused by pilot error or malfeasance by air traffic controllers, but Kinzinger said that might not be known for months.
"This kind of knee-jerk reaction does nothing to help the victims' families or improve aviation safety," Kinzinger said. "Presidents should set an example by waiting for the facts before making statements that could mislead the public or politicize a tragedy. The aviation community and the investigators deserve the time and space to conduct a thorough and fair inquiry. Not the assumption that it was DEI simply because your base hopes it was."
