Everyone on board a passenger jet and a military helicopter died when the aircraft collided near a Washington airport, President Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday, as he sought to blame hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration for the tragedy.
American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and four crew, was flying to Ronald Reagan National Airport at an altitude of about 120 metres and travelling at about 220kph when it went down over the Potomac River, according to data from its radio transponder.
"Sadly, there are no survivors," Mr Trump said. "This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital and in our nation's history."
He said people from other countries including Russia were on the plane and that an announcement about their nationalities would be made soon. Mr Trump then sought to blame hiring standards at the FAA for being a factor in the crash.
"You must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system," he said, without providing any evidence that hiring practices played a role in the disaster.
When pressed for evidence that so-called diversity hirings were to blame, Mr Trump highlighted previous administrations’ efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes at federal agencies and said that he knew this because he has "common sense".
Despite these assertions, Mr Trump then added: "The helicopter obviously was in the wrong place at the wrong time and a tragedy occurred."
American Airlines chief executive Robert Isom said the plane was making a normal approach when “the military aircraft came into the path” of the jet.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the crew of three soldiers was on an annual proficiency night training flight equipped with night vision goggles.
"We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft [helicopter] was in the corridor and at the right altitude at the time of the incident," Mr Hegseth said.
The FAA said the jet involved was operated by PSA Airlines, a regional carrier for American Airlines. The airport was closed overnight but resumed operations on Thursday.
One air traffic controller was responsible for co-ordinating helicopter traffic and arriving and departing planes when the collision happened, according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration that was obtained by the Associated Press. Those duties are often divided between two people, but the airport typically combines the roles at 9.30pm, once traffic begins to slow down.
Among those on the airliner were several US skaters and coaches, US Figure Skating said. Officials in Moscow also confirmed the presence of Russian couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the 1994 world pairs title.
Reagan National Airport is mainly a regional centre for domestic traffic. The nearby Dulles Airport caters more for international flights.
Mr Trump said earlier on his Truth Social platform that the incident “should have been prevented”.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport," he wrote. "The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a clear night, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn? Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane?"
All take-offs and landings were halted, the airport and police said. In audio from the air-traffic control tower at about the time of the crash, a controller is heard asking the helicopter: “Pat25, do you have the CRJ in sight?”, in reference to the passenger plane.
“Tower, did you see that?” another pilot is heard calling, seconds after the collision. Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Centre shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to crash in a fireball. The airport said emergency personnel were responding to “an aircraft incident on the airfield”.
American Airlines chief executive Robert Isom expressed his “deep sorrow” over the collision in a video posted to the airline's website and social media channels. “Anything we can do, we are doing,” he added.
Across from the airport, from the vantage point of East Potomac Golf Course, what would normally have been a noisy atmosphere due to nearby flights had turned eerily quiet on Thursday.
Law enforcement officers patrolled the area near the course, as people sought to gain access and information. Police kept people at a distance especially at the Potomac, where workers were still trying to recover bodies.
Emergency crews have recovered 28 bodies so far, with the recovery search continuing.
"There was a lot more commotion this morning," a maintenance worker at the golf course told The National. "And now I'm hearing that they don't think anybody survived."
On Thursday afternoon, National Transport Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy described the crash as an “all hands on deck event".
“We’re going to leave no stone unturned,” Ms Homendy told reporters.
When asked about Mr Trump’s accusation that DEI programmes could be blamed for the crash, the she turned to how the investigation will take place.
“We look at the human, the machine and the environment, we will look at all the humans involved in this accident. We’ll look at the aircraft, we’ll look at the helicopter, that’s standard in any investigation.”
Brice Banning, a senior aircraft investigator with the NTSB, said that the board plans to release a preliminary investigation within 30 days.
“There are a lot of people sad and hurting today, but we will find out what happened,” Mr Banning said.
Ms Homendy later said that the black boxes for each aircraft, which record critical data that could hold clues as to why the crash occurred, have not yet been recovered. She said the NTSB briefed Mr Trump earlier in the day.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
liverpool youngsters
Ki-Jana Hoever
The only one of this squad to have scored for Liverpool, the versatile Dutchman impressed on his debut at Wolves in January. He can play right-back, centre-back or in midfield.
Herbie Kane
Not the most prominent H Kane in English football but a 21-year-old Bristolian who had a fine season on loan at Doncaster last year. He is an all-action midfielder.
Luis Longstaff
Signed from Newcastle but no relation to United’s brothers Sean and Matty, Luis is a winger. An England Under-16 international, he helped Liverpool win the FA Youth Cup last season.
Yasser Larouci
An 18-year-old Algerian-born winger who can also play as a left-back, Larouci did well on Liverpool’s pre-season tour until an awful tackle by a Sevilla player injured him.
Adam Lewis
Steven Gerrard is a fan of his fellow Scouser, who has been on Liverpool’s books since he was in the Under-6s, Lewis was a midfielder, but has been converted into a left-back.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
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Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
Abu Dhabi Card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,400m
National selection: AF Mohanak
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 1,400m
National selection: Jayide Al Boraq
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 100,000 1,400m
National selection: Rocket Power
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh 180,000 1,600m
National selection: Ihtesham
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,600m
National selection: Noof KB
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 2.200m
National selection: EL Faust
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
