On January 21, Donald Trump fired the head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and eliminated ALL of the members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee. Trump’s newly installed Department of Homeland Security people were also openly discussing their desire to return to pre-9/11 airport security, as in… barely any modern safeguards at all. Additionally, the Trump administration tried out a massive federal funding freeze, which they’re already trying to backtrack, but it would have effectively fired thousands of traffic controllers. As in, Trump likely put a freeze on hiring (and likely paying) air traffic controllers this week, in violation of federal law. Last week, the Senate also confirmed an alcoholic and credibly accused rapist as Secretary of Defense (just keep that in mind, in the background). Last night, a commercial plane collided mid-air with a US Army helicopter.

Many people were feared dead after a commercial jet carrying 64 people collided in midair with a U.S. Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River on Wednesday night near Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C.

The authorities have not given an official count of casualties or bodies recovered. But some of those aboard the plane were figure skaters flying from Wichita, Kan., which had hosted the national figure skating championships this month. Russian figure skaters were also among the passengers, the Kremlin said.

About 300 emergency responders were working in dangerous conditions, said John Donnelly, the chief of Washington’s fire department. He added that the Potomac’s cold and murky water was complicating divers’ search and rescue efforts. Temperatures were expected to fall below freezing in the Washington area overnight.

The plane, which was being operated for American Airlines as Flight 5342 and had departed from Wichita, crashed into the river, Washington’s fire emergency department said. Images of the wreckage showed what appeared to be a wing and part of the fuselage sticking out of the river.

An Army official said that the helicopter, a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, was flying with three crew members, whose condition he could not confirm. American said in a statement that 60 passengers and four crew members had been onboard its plane, a Bombardier CRJ700.

Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, said on social media that the Army and the Department of Defense would investigate the crash. He posted an email from Heather Chairez, a spokeswoman for the U.S. military’s Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, stating that the helicopter, operating out of Davison Army Airfield in Fort Belvoir, Va., had been on a training flight.

[From The NY Times]

We all knew that many innocent people would die because of this administration’s incompetence, racism, misogyny, stupidity, sh-tty crisis management and poor leadership. But even I’m shocked by how quickly everything is happening. I feel so sorry for the poor people on the commercial flight and their families. I hope there are thorough investigations into what happened here at every level – especially why a military Black Hawk was flying in commercial airspace – but I doubt there will be.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.