American Airlines CEO Robert Isom has affirmed that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be the primary source of information regarding the mid-air collision involving American Airlines Flight 5342. The crash, which occurred on Wednesday night, involved a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and a small plane operated by PSA Airlines, resulting in the deaths of all 67 people on board. Isom emphasized that while the investigation is ongoing, NTSB’s findings will be definitive.
In a statement shared with employees and posted on LinkedIn by journalist Edward Russell, Isom said: “While the investigation is underway — and will continue for quite some time — we will share what we can as information becomes available. It’s important to remember that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) leads the investigation of aviation accidents. The NTSB will be the sole source of truth going forward, and accuracy is of the utmost importance.”
This statement follows remarks by US President Donald Trump suggesting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives might have been a factor in the incident.
American Airlines announced its cooperation with local, state, and federal authorities alongside PSA Airlines during this investigation. The airline stated it would fully cooperate with NTSB’s inquiry into every operational aspect that could have contributed to the tragedy.
“We are actively working with local, state, and federal authorities on emergency response efforts and coordinating closely with PSA Airlines as it cooperates fully with the NTSB investigation,” American Airlines stated.
Isom also highlighted American Airlines’ commitment to supporting families affected by this crash. He stressed that assisting victims’ families remains a top priority for the airline. On Thursday morning, American’s CARE team arrived in Washington D.C., and Wichita, Kansas to provide support. A helpline was established for family members of those aboard Flight 5342.
As recovery operations continued through challenging conditions on Thursday evening, over 40 bodies had been recovered. Among those who perished were three soldiers from the Black Hawk helicopter conducting routine operations at the time of collision; two have been identified while one remains unnamed.
The figure skating community was particularly affected by this tragedy as several members were returning from a development camp in Wichita when they died in the crash. Notable instructors Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were among those lost.
Flight 5342 was en route from Wichita to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided midair before both aircraft crashed into Potomac River prompting immediate recovery efforts led by NTSB who have since retrieved both black boxes from American Airlines jet.
During Friday’s press briefing NTSB member Todd Inman explained how CRJ’s cockpit voice recorder had undergone “water intrusion” but noted such occurrences are “not uncommon.” After immersion overnight in ionized water followed by placement inside vacuum oven data recovery attempts commenced successfully allowing officials confidence full data download possible given good condition flight data recorder remained intact.
The single device aboard Black Hawk recording both flight data & cockpit voice located sent headquarters additional examination expected yield recoverable information due lack visible external damage present device itself
