President Donald Trump, in a post on social media early Thursday, criticized the control tower workers and the crew of a Black Hawk military helicopter involved in a deadly midair collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and the helicopter over the Potomac River Wednesday night.

Wednesday night, the passenger jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, collided with the Army helicopter while attempting a landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport, resulting in a large search-and-rescue operation in the Potomac River.

“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “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.

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