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After the horrific collision involving an American Airlines plane and a Black Hawk helicopter happened, a video of CEO Robert Isom has gone viral. Isom issued a statement addressing the crash, on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. He first confirmed that the plane involved belonged to PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines.
Further in the video, Isom went on to express "deep sorrow" about the chain of events that transpired. In the video, Isom said:
"This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones."
He further mentioned:
"American Eagle flight, 5342 operated by PSA Airlines, a CRJ-700 aircraft traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington Reagan National Airport has been involved in an accident near Washington, D.C."
The post garnered massive traction on social media. Instagram was flooded with responses from netizens. Many claimed that Isom's statement clip looked AI-generated. Here are some popular reactions from platform users found on the internet:
Netizens further posed questions such as why had the Black Hawk helicopter been flying in the vicinity in the first place.
In the video, Isom also mentioned that they were solely focused on the rescue processes. He even mentioned that the team had set up a special helpline number for friends and family at 1-800-679-8215.
Everything to know about American Airlines CEO Robert Isom
Robert Isom is the CEO of American Airlines Group and its subsidiary American Airlines. Before becoming the airline's CEO, Isom was its president from 2016 to 2022. Before that from 2013 to 2016, he was the chief operating officer and executive vice president of the company. In March 2022, he finally became the CEO of the airline company.
Raised outside of Detroit, Isom went to the University of Notre Dame and received an undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts) in mechanical engineering and English respectively. He later attended the University of Michigan where he finished his masters and received the Master of Business Administration degree.
According to the official website of American Airlines, Robert Isom's career started with being employed at Procter & Gamble Company. It was also stated that before joining US Airways, Robert Isom was associated with other airlines like Northwest Airlines and America West Airlines.
As for the current crash, Robert Isom revealed that there were four crew members and about 60 passengers on the flight which crashed on Wednesday. He further confirmed that the airline had been showing complete cooperation with federal agents responsible for investigating the crash.
Experts believe that more caution near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is needed due to its features. David Soucie, CNN Safety Analyst addressed the crash and described this airport to be a complex one, since both commercial and military flights fly here.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the collision took place at 9 pm ET, on Wednesday while the plane was over the Potomac River. The American Airlines flight that took off from Wichita reportedly crashed into the military helicopter shortly before landing. Many other take-offs and landings were canceled at the airport.
Stay tuned for additional updates related to the incident.
