Trump says he offered assistance to India after crash: 'I gave them a couple of pointers'
US President Donald Trump expressed his condolences after the deadly crash of a Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner operated by Air India that left hundreds dead, saying he had offered 'pointers' on possible causes as well as an offer of assistance to Indian authorities.
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'I gave them a couple of pointers. I said, 'Maybe you look at this,' you know, we saw the plane, it looked like it was flying pretty well, it didn't look like there was an explosion, just looked like the engines maybe lost power,' Trump said at an event Thursday at the White House.
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Trump said he had offered India help in the recovery and went on to call the crash 'terrible' and 'one of the worst in aviation history.'
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The flight, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad in India en route to London Gatwick, was carrying 242 passengers and crew, most of whom were Indian and UK nationals. More than 200 bodies have been recovered as local investigators scour the crash site.
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The Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday that it was in contact with the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB will be leading a team of US investigators traveling to India to assist with the probe, according to a post on X.
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US air safety officials typically assist investigations to determine the cause of crashes involving American-built aircraft, a process that can take weeks and months.
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The incident marked the first-ever complete loss of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and extends a series of serious and fatal incidents in the civil aviation industry this year.
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Boeing said it's 'aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information.' Its stock fell some 6% in early US trading on Thursday.
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The company has been involved in several accidents in recent years, including two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. Early last year, a nearly-new 737 Max aircraft lost a door panel during flight. While there were no fatalities, the accident plunged the company into a crisis.
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In the US, air safety has also come under fresh scrutiny. In January, an American Airlines regional jet collided with a military helicopter near Washington, killing the 60 passengers and 4 crew members. The FAA is also working to bolster the airspace around Newark Liberty International Airport after recent radar and radio outages caused major disruptions.
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