D.C. Crash May Have Been Due to Helicopter Pilot’s Night Vision Goggles
“On a clear night, sometimes you can see better without it,” President Donald Trump said.

OLIVER CONTRERAS/AFP via Getty Images
The pilot of the military helicopter that collided into an American Airlines flight was wearing night vision goggles, possibly obscuring their vision, President Donald Trump said Thursday. “On a clear night, sometimes you can see better without it,” Trump said. A Black Hawk helicopter crashed into a commercial flight approaching Reagan International Airport on Wednesday night, leaving no survivors. During a press conference, Trump blamed the helicopter pilot for not spotting the plane. “You had a pilot problem, from the standpoint of the helicopter,” he said. “I mean, because it was visual, it was a very clear night. It was cold, but clear and clear as you could be.” The possibility of night vision goggles hindering the pilot’s sight is a more tangible explanation for the crash than what Trump has offered so far. Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly blamed diversity, equity and inclusion policies for causing the collision. Trump claimed that a Federal Aviation Administration “diversity push” during the Biden administration meant it was “actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities and psychiatric problems.”
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