WASHINGTON, DC: The crash between a military Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet, which occurred on January 29, 2025, has ignited a firestorm of conspiracy theories across social media.
The deadly collision, which caused both aircraft falling into the Potomac River, has led to wild speculation that the incident was no accident but a deliberate act.
Tragedy strikes near DC as American Airlines flight collides with Black Hawk helicopter
The crash took place when American Airlines Flight 5342, a Bombardier aircraft, was approaching Washington’s Reagan National Airport.
The plane, with four crew members and 60 passengers aboard, collided mid-air with a Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers on a routine training mission. All involved in the crash are presumed dead, though authorities have recovered 28 bodies so far.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, but the incident has raised many questions about how such a tragedy could happen in the heavily monitored airspace around Washington, DC.
Given that modern collision-avoidance technology is in place for commercial flights and air traffic controllers were present, many are puzzled by the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Conspiracy theories flood social media as users speculate crash was deliberate
Almost immediately after news of the crash broke, conspiracy theorists began to flood social media platforms with unsubstantiated claims that the incident was intentional.
Some suggested that the helicopter may have “chased” the passenger plane, with one social media user comparing the event to a “1970s-style assassination.” The user further asked, “Who were the people on that plane??? That helicopter was up to something.”
Others speculated that the crash could have been a “targeted hit.” One user posted, “Aviation expert and navy seal here, helicopters are typically not supposed to crash into airplanes.”
Another added, “This plane crash is so strange… something is off.. a Blackhawk not having alarms going, 3 soldiers not seeing a effin commercial plane? A army pilot who doesn’t understand how to navigate close to an airport? Even if training? Yeah this smells bad.”
“Helicopters do not crash into airplanes helicopters do not crash into airplanes. Airplanes do not crash into helicopters airplanes do not crash into helicopters. Ain’t no way. Somebody needs to check who was on that plane or who was allegedly in that helicopter. This smells BAD,” said one.
A person said, “This looks deliberate to me. Watch this clip especially the slow motion part, the plane is coming in to land and the helicopter comes in from the left and flies right into it”
An X user claimed, “This was not an accident.. Blackhawk Helicopters don’t fly into jets.”
Other chimed in, “Military helicopters just don’t “accidentally” crash into passenger airplanes. There are things we don’t know and may never know and THAT is scary AF! “
Despite the wild theories circulating online, there has been no official confirmation to support any of the claims. Authorities have remained tight-lipped about the cause of the crash, Daily Mail reported. President Donald Trump without evidence claimed that the crash was related to DEI hires.
The Army and the Department of Defense have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision, but no evidence has emerged to suggest that the crash was deliberate.
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online
