'Reminder of how precious life is': WI lawmakers react to D.C. plane crash

 

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Members of Wisconsin's congressional delegation that frequently fly in and out of Washington D.C. Reagan National Airport are reacting after a passenger plane collided midair with a helicopter Wednesday evening.

The plane that crashed, leaving no survivors, flew between D.C. and Wisconsin on Monday and Tuesday this week.

Rep. Bryan Steil, a Republican who represents southeast Wisconsin, said he left the Reagan National Airport just hours before the collision.

"I was in fact at the airport and left about two hours before this tragedy occurred," Steil said. "It's a stark reminder of how precious life is and from a policy perspective we have to find out what went wrong."

Many lawmakers on Capitol Hill were shaken by the news after the helicopter flew into the path of the jet while it was landing at the airport, leaving 67 people aboard the two aircrafts dead, according to officials.

"It's a tragedy," said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI 2nd District). "A lot of people died through this, and the investigation is happening."

A report by the Federal Aviation Administration said staffing in air traffic control was "not normal" at the time of the midair collision.

“The position configuration was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” the report said.

The investigation could take months after it marked one of the deadliest American aviation disasters in more than two decades.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), who serves on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, said members plan to hold a briefing with the National Transportation Safety Board in the near future.

"I'm committed to figuring out what happened and what we can do to double down on safety to prevent this from ever happening again," Baldwin said.

Steil and other members of congress echoed calls for a thorough review.

"We must have a thorough investigation to determine what caused this accident and take all necessary steps to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again," said Rep. Tony Wied (R-WI-08).

Pocan and Baldwin also took aim at President Donald Trump's comments for partially blaming, without evidence, diversity programs and hiring at air traffic control for the collision.

"For him and other Republicans to throw out things like DEI, it's just ridiculous," Pocan said. "They don't even know what happened yet."

When asked why he blamed diversity initiatives, Trump said, “because I have common sense, and unfortunately a lot of people don’t.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy backed Trump's leadership while also raising concerns about diversity programs and hiring.