Sean Duffy, the new Secretary of Transportation, met with families of victims from the recent crash involving an American Eagle flight. He assured them that the investigation would be transparent. This comes after President Donald Trump suggested that diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) policies were responsible for the accident.
Duffy expressed his unexpected start in office through a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. He noted meeting some families who lost loved ones in the January 29 crash near Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport. The collision involved a US Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 operating as American Eagle Flight 5342. Sixty-seven people died in the incident.
“Their pain is immeasurable,” Duffy stated. “I can’t take away their pain, but I can do a very small part to help ease it by keeping my promise to get to the bottom of what happened and be 100% transparent about the results of the investigation.”
Duffy is working on plans to address issues within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and intends to keep stakeholders informed about developments related to the crash. “Trump is the most transparent president in my lifetime,” he said. “I intend to reflect that spirit during this investigation and in all my work at [DOT].”
President Trump has blamed former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for allegedly making decisions that weakened merit and competence within the FAA. His executive order titled ‘Immediate Assessment of Aviation Safety’ suggests these past administrations implemented harmful DEI policies.
Jennifer Homendy, Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), requested more time for analysis before determining what led to the crash. According to international guidelines, investigators have up to 30 days to release a preliminary report.
The FAA faces challenges such as insufficient air traffic controllers and outdated technology systems, according to reports from both December 2024 by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) and June 2023 by DOT. COVID-19 further impacted training timelines for air traffic controllers.
The NTSB announced it would review information regarding air traffic controllers’ roles during its investigation into potential fatigue or other factors contributing to this tragic event.
