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CNN This Morning
All 67 People Involved In Plane-Helicopter Collision Killed; Trump Baselessly Links Diversity Initiatives To Collision; Figure Skating Community Mourns Members Killed In Crash. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired January 31, 2025 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, it's 5:28 a.m. here on the East Coast. A live look at the Washington Monument here in the nation's capital which, of course, has been in mourning since that horrible plane crash a night or so ago.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
There are no survivors. There are only questions after the deadly collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport.
Overnight CNN obtained exclusive new footage of the moments leading up to and after the tragedy. This cell phone video -- it recorded surveillance footage. It appears to have been taken from the airport grounds. And you can see the helicopter approach from the left of the screen as the plane approaches from the right until this incredibly tragic moment of impact and explosion. And the jet appears to turn upside-down before crashing into the icy Potomac below.
CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean has more on the investigation into how this could have happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating what caused the deadliest aviation disaster in the United States in more than 23 years.
JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: We are all here because this is an all hands on deck event. And we're here to assure the American people that we are going to leave no stone unturned.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): American Eagle flight 5342, a Canada regional jet operated by PSA Airlines, call sign Blue Streak, directed to land at Reagan National Airport's runway 33, one of the most complicated approaches in the country and running very close to a special corridor used for helicopters flying close to the ground.
AMERICAN EAGLE PILOT: Yeah, we can do 33 for Blue Streak 5342. MUNTEAN (voiceover): The flight's captain had nearly six years of experience with the airline and the first officer nearly two years, according to American Airlines CEO.
CONTROL TOWER: Runway 33 cleared to land.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): Four minutes later the control tower tells a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, call sign Priority Air Transport or PAT 25, on a training mission to look out for the passenger plane and go behind it.
CONTROL TOWER: PAT 25, do you have CRJ in sight? Pat 25, pass behind the CRJ.
HELICOPTER PILOT: PAT 25 has aircraft in sight. Request visual separation.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): Despite the helicopter pilot saying he saw the jet, about 13 seconds later disaster as they slam into each other.
DISPATCHER: Crash, crash, crash. This is an alert 3.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): The plane shattered into three pieces, plunging into the dark Potomac River where both aircraft landed upside-down.
GROUND CONTROLLER: It was probably out in the middle of the river. I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. So I haven't seen anything since they hit the river, but it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): More than 300 first responders descended on the scene for a desperate search in near freezing cold water, but not one of the 64 people on the plane and the three people on the helicopter survived.
J. TODD INMAN, MEMBER, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: Loss of life in an aviation accident is very unusual in the United States and our heartfelt sorrow goes out to everyone that's affected. It affects us and it affects everyone around us.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNT: Just remarkable.
So, of course, this plane crash meant that President Donald Trump was confronted with his first national tragedy. It was just two weeks into his second term. And not even 24 hours after those two aircraft collided and all of those people died, President Trump began to speculate from behind the White House press briefing room podium. And he used Wednesday night's deadly crash as an opportunity to criticize diversity programs across the government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency's website. Their lives are actually shortened -- very substantially because of the stress where you have many, many planes coming into one target.
The initiative is part of the FAA's diversity and inclusion hiring plan. Think of that. The initiative is part of the FAA's diversity and inclusion hiring plan which says diversity is integral to achieving FAA's mission of ensuring safe and efficient travel.
I don't think so. I don't think so. I think it's just the opposite.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: He didn't offer an actual connection between DEI and the horrible tragedy that our nation went through and that all of those victims and their families are going through.
No investigation has blamed air traffic control for what happened on Wednesday night. The NTSB is still investigating -- and as they continue to tell us, these investigations take time.
When the president was pressed on what evidence he had the president said this. "I have common sense."
Democrats were quick to criticize his reaction. Again, this is a tragedy that killed 67 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): And I was absolutely appalled when those words came out of President Trump's mouth because we are in the middle of a national tragedy and a real tragedy for our region and yet he decided to politicize it throwing out these theories with no basis in fact. In fact, he admitted that he had no basis for these claims.
[05:35:00]
I think he owes the families who lost loved ones, and I think he owes the country an apology for taking this moment where we're trying to come together and figure it out and inserting gross politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: All right, joining us now is the co-founder of Punchbowl News, John Bresnahan. Bres, it's always wonderful to have you on the show. It is, of course, a sober time for all of us.
The president's remarks obviously just ricocheted around town yesterday. I actually want to give a moment to one of my colleagues, Pete Muntean, to talk about how he reacted to what he saw from the president just because I think it kind of gives us a framework to think about it. Here's why Pete is a personal pilot himself. He loves flying more than
anyone I have ever met in my life. He has a birthday party every year at the hangar where he keeps this little plane that he flies. His parents were both pilots. And his mother was actually killed in a plane crash, which is something that he has talked about publicly.
Here is what Pete had to say in the wake of the president's comments on our air here on CNN yesterday. Let's watch it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN: It is so, so soon -- way too soon to make any sort of indictment or insinuation that air traffic control was to blame here, that hiring policies were to blame here, that the pilots of the Black Hawk were to blame here. This is something that investigators will have to go through not only on the scene -- and they are there now doing the Lord's work -- this is only the precipice.
And so for the families that are going through hell right now -- and I know this because I lost my late mother to a plane crash -- this made it even more hellish. What was that? I just cannot -- I'm sorry to get angry but what is the point of making some sort of speculative, wide- ranging, rudderless claim about anything about hiring at the FAA?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: And, you know, Bres, I also just would not that the way that Trump responded when this happened is very different from -- I mean, the Republican senator from Kansas, Jerry Moran, responded with deep empathy to families that he may know. I mean, he's -- he talked about how he flew that route from Wichita.
Were you surprised to see President Trump do this, and what has the reaction been to it, especially among Republicans who have just been toeing the line?
JOHN BRESNAHAN, CO-FOUNDER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS (via Webex by Cisco): Yeah, not only Jerry Moran but the other Republican senator, Roger Marshall --
HUNT: Roger Marshall.
BRESNAHAN: -- went to a press conference with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in the middle of the night to show their sympathy, their solidarity with these families that lost loved ones. I mean, it was Marshall -- the whole Kansas delegation -- congressional delegation put out a statement.
I mean, I think what you're seeing with Republicans is just kind of shock. I think -- listen, they are -- this is Trump's second go- around. None of this is new to them. Trump is always going to be Trump. He's going to say whatever he wants whenever he wants it.
And this is a guy who went after our Gold Star family. This is a guy who criticized John McCain. This is someone who is -- who would -- what would be -- what would be horrific, career-ending statements for any other politician, Trump has made them regularly.
So when they -- you know, they basically did the usual thing they do with Trump. They didn't hear it. They weren't aware of it. You know, they wouldn't -- that's not what I would say. It's basically what they did. They scattered and ran from it.
But I do want to read -- I mean, I was just struck by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' statement, and Jeffries is the highest-ranking Black elected official in the country. He was really upset about this.
He talked about Trump peddling lies, conspiracy theories, and attacking people of color and women without basis -- any basis whatsoever. "Have you no decency? Have you no respect for the families whose lives have been turned upside down?"
And this is really very personal for Jeffries to make that kind of statement. He's not that kind of leader to do that. So I was just kind of struck by the tone that -- the really, really offended tone that he took.
HUNT: Yeah, no. I mean, you're right. He usually is pretty measured. And obviously he has good relationships with a lot of Republicans on the Hill. He's not -- you know, he's not someone who --
BRESNAHAN: Right.
HUNT: To say have you no decency, it's remarkable.
BRESNAHAN: Yeah, I was stunned. I mean, the tone.
And Schumer went to the floor -- Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer went to the floor.
And I think a lot of members -- everyone was really shocked that Trump is -- nobody was really sure what to expect of Trump in this second go-around here and I think he showed that he's -- Trump is never going to be anything other than Trump. He's going to be who he is, and he is going to exploit tragedies for his own gain, so -- you know, or what he thinks is political gain.
[05:40:15]
I just think in this instance with what had happened earlier in the week on the funding freeze, I think Republicans are like wow, this is -- you know, this is real -- you know, this is a real punch in the face. Trump is going to be a problem for them and he's -- you know, he led them to victory in November.
But he is going to be a problem for them in a lot of ways if he doesn't stay within -- and, you know, cause himself problems politically that he just doesn't need for no reason. This is -- there is no reason for Trump to do anything like this, to say anything like this at this moment. So they're -- I think a lot of them were just surprised.
HUNT: It did strike me, Bres, that Donald Trump had this high, right? Wins the popular vote unexpectedly. Before California came in, he even spent some time above 50 percent in the vote count. And that obviously dropped to a plurality.
But in the first week he's inaugurated there's this flood of executive orders. People in his orbit are very excited.
And then I think you're right to point to the funding freeze. It seems like his first real major political mistake, right -- he's got to walk it back. It's on the front pages and local newscasts everywhere. There is people who don't know if they can send their kids to the head start programs. People don't show up for their WIC appointments, right? It really affects a lot of people who voted for him. And then this.
For Democrats who have been demoralized and really couldn't figure out how to scrape together any sort of opposition to him initially, is this going to change that for them?
BRESNAHAN: Oh, yeah. The leaders, Chuck Schumer and Jeffries in particular, are pointing to this -- the funding issue, in particular, as this is just the beginning. This is where the Republicans are going. And we've been talking about this at Punchbowl News for a while.
There are huge pitfalls for Republicans ahead. They are going to try and cut social spending, Medicaid, and other social programs to extend the Trump tax cuts. A lot of that which is wealthy -- the wealthiest Americans. They're going to try to cut corporate tax rates. That's going to be an issue. Of course, he's going to try and cut for Social Security recipients and other people. There will be other tax cuts there but how you get there is a huge issue.
There's government funding. There's -- he's talked about Ukraine would be the -- the Ukraine war would be over by the time I get to office. That hasn't happened. And there's a lot of pitfalls out there for Republicans.
And Democrats were definitely on their heels coming out of November. This was a -- this was a depressing loss for them. They not only lost the popular vote, their messaging was terrible. They lost with -- they lost ground with Hispanic men. They lost ground with African American men, young people. I mean, this was a bad --
HUNT: Yeah.
BRESNAHAN: -- beating they took in November. This is the first time since then they've really kind of rallied.
HUNT: Yeah.
All right, John Bresnahan. Always grateful to have you, sir. I hope you have a good weekend. Thanks for being here.
All right. Coming up next here on CNN THIS MORNING leaving no stone unturned. The NTSB says they have not ruled out any factors in their investigation into this deadly midair disaster. Plus, the talented young athletes and their coaches killed in the
collision. How the international figure skating community is grappling with this devastating loss.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:47:35]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Other friends of hers are in there cuddled up and crying. My daughter is very prone to crying when it's emotional, and I think she's trying to hold it in right now. And I don't know if she knows why she's holding it in. On the way to school this morning when we told her this she got out of the car and she told my wife, "I don't know how to feel. I don't know what to do with this."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: As a parent of a young child that's just a devastating thing to hear. There are so many people -- young children sitting with this unimaginable grief this morning as these questions swirl about what exactly caused the deadly midair disaster over the Potomac River on Wednesday night.
An air traffic control source tells CNN that one air traffic controller was covering two different positions when the plane and the helicopter collided. The head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association says a setup like that is not uncommon. But The New York Times citing an internal preliminary FAA report. It says the staffing was "not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic."
The NTSB is leading the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INMAN: We don't know what we know just yet. We do not know enough facts to be able to rule in or out human factor, mechanical factors. That is part of the NTSB investigative process.
HOMENDY: We will look at all the humans that were involved in this accident. Again, we will look at the aircraft. We will look at the helicopter. We will look at the environment in which they were operating in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: A CNN investigation found that in the three years before this deadly disaster at least two other pilots reported near misses with helicopters while they were landing at Reagan National Airport.
Joining us now is Les Abend, retired 777 captain and a contributing editor to Flying magazine. Les, good morning. Thank you so much for being here.
LES ABEND, RETIRED AMERICAN AIRLINES CAPTAIN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, FLYING MAGAZINE (via Webex by Cisco): Good morning.
HUNT: Can you talk a little bit about what it might mean that there was only one air traffic controller doing the job for two? And I know that you were a pilot at American Airlines as well for many years, so if you could talk about what it's like to work with the towers -- what's normal and what's not.
ABEND: Yeah, the -- Kasie, this hits very close to home for me. Forty-three years ago this month I flew in the next day after Air Florida had crashed in the Potomac. So I flew in looking at pieces of airplane. It stays with you forever. So I can't imagine what these folks are going through, let alone the families. It's just -- it's just horrible.
[05:50:13]
I have experienced going into particular facilities where a ground controller and a tower controller combined into one because of the volume of activity has been reduced for that particular time of day. So it's not unusual.
I know the NTSB is not focusing on this. They don't want to make this necessarily an issue. Are they going to be investigating this? Yeah, there's a good potential.
What I can say is that flying into Washington -- one of the best controllers -- all of -- they're just fantastic people. They have protected my life numerous times and just do a tremendous job going into Washington in a very, very challenging airspace situation, challenging approaches. You're got to be on your A game whether you're a controller or a pilot.
HUNT: Les, we obviously heard from President Trump as well yesterday. I'm interested to know what you think -- you know, he had theories about what may have caused this that came out well before we've learned anything from the NTSB.
What do you think is appropriate at this point in terms of how you think about what may have been a factor here in this crash? And is there any truth to what the president said yesterday?
ABEND: I'm sorry, but I was disgusted by that entire press conference and the statements that were made for the people that I depended upon throughout my career.
There's -- the qualifications that are required for a controller are stringent and it's a lot of work. It's at least five years before somebody can actually be soloed, for instance, at a particular facility. And each facility has its own difficulty level.
Same thing for pilots. We -- pilots are hired -- there's a specific standard for hiring pilots. Whether they're Black, white, purple, brown, it doesn't make any difference. Those standards have to be -- have to be met and nobody's going to get hired that doesn't meet those particular -- those particular standards, Kasie. HUNT: All right, Les Abend. Thank you so much for joining us -- retired American Airlines captain. I really appreciate having your perspective on the show.
All right, this is also, of course, a devastating part of this story. The figure skating community is in mourning after this deadly crash. A number of athletes -- very young athletes and their family members were on board the American Airlines jet.
Andy Scholes has this morning's CNN sports update. Andy, good morning.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah, good morning, Kasie.
So the global figure skating community just devastated as 14 of its members were on board that plane that crashed. And yesterday the European Figure Skating Championships did carry on in Estonia in what was a very somber atmosphere.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GYORGY ELEK, INTERNATIONAL SKATING UNION: Please join us now in a moment of silence as we think of those who have been lost and their loved ones.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: The competition, which runs through Sunday, did pause for that moment of silence before the free skate pairs event.
Now, The Skating Club of Boston named six victims, including a pair of teenagers representing the future of the sport. Sixteen-year-old Spencer Lane took first place at the 2025 Intermediate Eastern Sectionals and attended the National Development Camp and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships there in Wichita. His mother, Christine Lane, was also killed.
And Gina Hahn was also on that plane. She was only 13. She was described by the executive director of The Skating Club of Boston as a great performer, a great competitor, a great kid. Her mom, Jin Hahn, was also on board the plane.
Also killed were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov who won the pairs title at the 1994 World Championships and competed twice in the Olympics. They represented Russia but moved to the U.S. where they launched successful coaching careers.
Now, legendary skater Nancy Kerrigan trained at The Skating Club of Boston as a youth, and she just broke down in tears over the lives that were lost.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY KERRIGAN, 2-TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST: I feel for the athletes -- the skaters and their families. But anyone that was on that plane, not just the skaters, because it's just such a tragic event. And we've been through tragedies before as Americans, as people, and we are strong. And I guess it's how we respond to it. And so my response is to be with people I care about and I love, and I needed support so that's why I'm here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:55:10]
SCHOLES: Yeah, it's just hard.
The tragedy, Kasie, is certainly going to have a profound impact on the World Figure Skating Championships in March, which will be held in Boston this year.
HUNT: That's a -- it was so hard to watch Nancy Kerrigan there without getting emotional yourself.
SCHOLES: Yeah.
HUNT: Andy, thank you very much.
And as we remember all of the lives that were tragically lost, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL)
HUNT: It's Friday, January 31. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INMAN: We do not know enough facts to be able to rule in or out human factor, mechanical factors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: New details and new footage. The latest on the investigation into the worst U.S. air disaster in decades.