America News Agency

Key points from Trump's speech:

"I speak to you today on a day of great pain and suffering for our nation. A passenger plane collided with a military helicopter. Both aircraft fell into the icy waters of the river immediately after the collision.

Throughout the night, all resources were mobilized for a massive rescue operation. However, efforts have now turned to debris removal and search operations. Unfortunately, there were no survivors. This was truly a dark and painful night.

We grieve for every life lost. There were also citizens of other countries among the victims. There were very talented people from Russia. This is a very, very tragic situation.

On behalf of 340 million Americans, I extend our prayers and support. In the coming days, we will continue to work diligently to provide assistance.

Our hearts are all broken, and we are searching for answers. We mourn for our friends and family members we have tragically lost.

There is no clear reason yet for the crash, but we have some ideas that I will talk about. Over the years, I have seen similar incidents happen. They always say an investigation is ongoing, and then three years later, they announce something. We will make sure this never happens again.

The National Aviation Administration and the U.S. military will conduct a highly detailed investigation. Our Department of Transportation is also working tirelessly. We will get the answers.

I listened to the cockpit recordings, and it was truly terrifying. The American Airlines plane was approaching and doing everything correctly. It was on its landing path and was flying at the same altitude as a helicopter. When the pilot asked, "Can you see the plane?", there was no time left. Seconds later, the collision occurred. I believe there was an issue with the helicopter pilot.

The weather was cold but clear. The American Airlines plane’s lights were on. I saw this in a recording taken from the Kennedy Center. Of course, we will obtain more footage and recordings.

We experienced a situation where an aircraft that could have remained in the air did not make the correct turn. Perhaps the pilot did the exact opposite of what was instructed. The helicopter could see the plane. The pilot could have made a million different maneuvers.

Really bad things happened, and they should never have happened."