The dots don’t join

TIME magazine:

The Trump Administration is facing its first major test after a passenger jet and Army helicopter collided mid-air in the Washington, D.C. area on Wednesday night, in what officials are calling the most fatal aviation disaster on U.S. soil in more than two decades.

The collision quickly raised concerns about the state of air traffic control and oversight and sparked questions about recent leadership changes within the federal agencies charged with regulating air travel.

Just days before the crash, President Donald Trump enacted a sweeping shake-up of the federal agencies responsible for aviation oversight, removing the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), David Pekoske, and eliminating all the members of a key aviation security advisory group. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates airlines and aircraft manufacturers and manages the nation’s airspace, was also without permanent leadership at the time of the crash, as its top official, Michael Whitaker, stepped down ahead of the new administration’s transition after clashing with Trump ally Elon Musk.

Ok but still. It seems like a huge stretch to think that any of that actually caused the helicopter pilots to crash into the plane. It seems like a huge stretch to think that there were already fewer controllers at that extremely busy and crucial airport and that that’s why the helicopter failed to avoid the plane. Things aren’t that simple, even when they’re Trump things.

13 Responses to “The dots don’t join”

Leave a Comment

Subscribe without commenting