Sean Duffy Thinks Black Hawks Should Only Prepare for Less Challenging, Off-Peak Emergencies
Donald Trump’s transportation secretary might need a lesson on the kind of operations Black Hawk pilots train for after his comments during a recent CNN appearance.
Speaking with Jake Tapper on Sunday morning’s broadcast of State of the Union, Sean Duffy seemed genuinely baffled about why military personnel were out training on Wednesday night when one of their helicopters collided with a passenger flight, resulting in the tragic deaths of 67 people.
As Tapper put it to the newly-appointed transport secretary, “Are you and the investigators any closer to finding out what caused this disaster? Is it your understanding that the helicopter, the Black Hawk was flying above the 200-foot limit? Was air traffic control not fully staffed? What can you tell us?”
Duffy responded, “I’ll tell you this, the questions I have is [sic], what was happening inside the tower? Were they understaffed? Was it the right decision to consolidate the positions of the air traffic controllers from two to one? Those are questions that we need answers to.”
He then went on, “The position of the Black Hawk, the elevation of the Black Hawk, were the pilots of the Black Hawk wearing night vision goggles? Did it affect their peripheral vision, or their perception? If they did have night vision goggles on, why are they flying at nine o’clock at night, when DCA [Reagan National Airport- is so busy? They should be flying at one o’clock in the morning.”
One of the most instantly recognizable U.S. military aircrafts, Black Hawk helicopters have often been referred to as “military workhorses” for their unique versatility in the field. Pilots are therefore expected to train under a variety of different and challenging conditions, including at night and in busy airspaces.
Since the tragic incident on Wednesday evening, the Trump administration has repeatedly and baseless scapegoated DEI hiring programs as a possible factor in the crash, despite reports that the decorated female pilot of the Black Hawk involved in the collision was among the top 20 percent of army cadets across the country, and had been hand-picked for a prestigious role as aide at the White House.