American Airlines Flight 5342 and its passengers were the victims of a helicopter that either did not obey control tower instructions or failed to see the jet before it hit it, aviation expert JP Tristani told Newsmax Thursday.

“First and foremost is that the airliner did not collide with the helicopter,” Tristani, a former commercial pilot and U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot, said on Newsmax’s “National Report,” adding that it is “very apparent” that the U.S. Army Black Hawk “just flew into the airliner.”

He pointed out that the control tower attempted to contact the pilot of the helicopter, which was on a training mission, but there was no response.

Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.