This January was plagued by horrific plane accidents seemingly happening almost every other day, and in the search for scapegoats, much of the blame was placed on DEI policies and also the large cuts that Donald Trump made to the FAA in the days before the series of tragic crashes began.
The series of plane crashes and accidents began on Jan. 28, when a nearly $90 million F-35 fighter jet crashed in Alaska, and the headlines worsened on Jan. 29, when a military helicopter collided with a plane carrying 64 people, including several figure skaters and their families. All 67 people between the two aircraft died after the collision over the Potomac River in DC.
This horrific accident prompted intense coverage because the accident happened days after the firing of thousands of vital government officials, including air traffic controllers. After the accident, Donald Trump’s team issued a statement blaming DEI policies for the crash. Trump stated in a press conference on Jan. 30 that people with “intellectual disability[s], and dwarfism all qualify for the position of a controller of airplanes.” The FAA has since stated that not every hire can qualify to be an air traffic controller, and they go through rigorous selection and training for the role.
Just two days after the DC tragedy, a jet crashed in a residential area of Philadelphia, killing 7 and injuring 24 others. Considering that three high profile crashes happened in a week, the media began to latch on to any minor aviation accident. Over the following days, a Houston plane caught fire, a Delta plane nearly collided with the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, and a Delta flight collapsed on its side and caught on fire in Toronto.
Increased media coverage has raised anxiety among air travelers, but when looking at aviation data, these aren’t out of the usual. Large deadly plane accidents such as the DC crash are rare, but small accidents happen often and are normally not covered by the media.. While the many accidents sparked fear and sensationalism, the data reveals that this is nothing to be worried about.
