New York Magazine Blasted for Claiming Military Helicopter Pilots Killed in American Airlines D.C. Plane Crash Tragedy Were 'Clearly at Fault'
New York Magazine was slammed for pointing fingers at the Army pilots in the American Airlines crash.
Feb. 3 2025, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
New York Magazine is in hot water after blaming Army helicopter pilots for the devastating American Airlines crash, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
While investigators are still working to uncover what went wrong to cause the catastrophic incident – in which all 64 passengers and crew on board American Airlines flight 5342 were killed, as well as all three aboard the military craft – the outlet made the bold move to place sole blame on the Black Hawk helicopter pilots.
The Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines flight collided mid-air over the Potomac River.
Less than 48 hours after the tragedy occurred, New York Magazine published a piece entitled "The D.C. Plane Crash is No Mystery" on January 31.
Despite author and aviation journalist Jeff Wise starting the piece by stating, "When air accidents happen, it's important not to rush to judgement," he quickly pointed fingers at the Black Hawk pilots, adding: "A lot is unknown, but one basic fact is not: The helicopter pilot was at fault."
Users slammed the publication for blaming the Black Hawk pilots as the incident is still under investigation.
Wise continued: "It was quite clearly the Army Black Hawk helicopter that was not where it was supposed to be."
"While it may be the case that the tower was not properly staffed or that the airport's resources are chronically overtaxed, neither of these things played a role in the crash that took the lives of 67 passengers and crew."
On Instagram, users rushed to the comment section to call out the outlet for making such harsh accusations against the Army pilots.
All passengers and crew on board both aircraft were killed in the collision.
One user wrote: "Posting a piece like this seems to fall somewhere between libelous and wildly careless. This isn't journalism. It's your drunk uncle ranting during the dinner he wasn't invited to."
Another echoed: "Can everyone take a step back and let them figure this out-like professionally? The experts??? And please don’t disparage the helicopter pilot-was a human and died-this is tragic. Why has America turned into the blame game-oh wait-11? days ago sorry."
A third chimed in: "Shame on you @nymag not only is this contradictory but you do not have the qualifications to make this assertion. There are many elements involved here, please report responsibly."
Social media users called out New York Magazine's 'irresponsible journalism' for blaming the Army pilots before the investigation has concluded.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Others called out factors including the firing of Air Traffic Control (ATC) employees by Donald Trump's administration, while others blamed unclear communication from ATC to the helicopter pilots regarding which commercial flight to look out for, as another was in the air at the same time.
One user wrote: "Last week, Trump FIRED the heads of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard, and disbanded the Aviation Security Advisory Committee."
A second commented: "Jeff - it's tower's job to sufficiently ID the aircraft and specify location for visual separation. They didn't do that here and the army pilot clocked the wrong CRJ as a result. How can you in good conscience brush off tower's role in this?"
Meanwhile, several users branded the piece "irresponsible journalism" and shamed New York Magazine for publishing a piece that gave "little comfort to victims' loved one," while calling out the irony in starting the piece by calling on readers to "not rush to judgement."
