Donald Trump offers eyebrow-raising explanation for recent surge in plane crashes

WASHINGTON, DC: It’s no secret that Donald Trump loves to give his take on, well, everything. And now, the 47th president has offered his two cents on the alarming string of plane crashes making headlines.

On Sunday, March 9, the latest in a series of aviation incidents unfolded—a single-engine plane carrying five people crashed near a Pennsylvania airport. Miraculously, everyone on board survived, but two remain in critical condition, according to a Lehigh Valley Health Network spokesperson. 

String of plane crashes across the country

But this isn’t an isolated event. Over the past few months, air travel has been looking more like a disaster movie than a reliable mode of transportation.

On January 29, a Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines plane in Washington, DC. There were no survivors.

On January 31, a Jet Rescue Air Ambulance crashed moments after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. All six people onboard were killed.

Then, on February 17, a Delta Airlines flight flipped upside down while attempting to land in Toronto. Thankfully, all 80 passengers were safely evacuated.

With all these accidents happening in such a short span of time, people are understandably nervous. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is sounding the alarm that his department is being gutted, with hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees being laid off in February, thanks to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) crackdowns.

Union leader David Spero called the mass firings "shameful" and warned that it would "increase the workload and place new responsibilities on a workforce that is already stretched thin."

But when a reporter aboard Air Force One asked President Donald Trump if Secretary Duffy’s concerns were valid, Trump had a very on-brand response.

Donald Trump believes crashes have 'nothing to do with the department'

The reporter pointed out that Duffy "has been dealing with these crashes ever since he was sworn in. Does he have a legitimate concern?"

"Well, that has nothing to do with the department," Trump responded, brushing off the Pennsylvania crash as a small-plane incident that would have happened no matter what.

"That would have happened whether you had a big department or a small department," the president continued.

Trump then went on to explain how these things just happen sometimes. "They have space like this, you know, there are times where things happen a little bit more often than normal and then it goes back and you go, many years without having a problem," he reasoned.

The POTUS then pivoted to another recent near-disaster: the close call between a Southwest Airlines jet and a private plane at Chicago Midway Airport. According to him, the Southwest pilot was a hero and did a “fantastic job” in preventing a catastrophe.

But as for the private plane pilot, Trump suggested they should lose their license altogether.

Aviation expert calls plane crashes 'random clustering'

While Donald Trump was busy doling out his hot takes, aviation expert Jason Matzus stepped in with an explanation that didn’t involve blaming departments, pilots, or layoffs.

Matzus, an attorney at Matzus Law, told The Sun that while these crashes are undeniably tragic, what we’re seeing is a classic case of "random clustering."

"Naturally, recent plane crashes such as the Delta plane flipping on landing in Toronto and the midair collision at Reagan National in DC, have raised public awareness and concerns about the safety of flying," Law said.

"While these events are tragic, the likely explanation is simply 'random clustering' - which occurs when multiple crashes occur over a short period, warping our general perception and causing us to think that there is an increasing trend in plane crashes, when in reality these crashes, despite being so close together, are merely coincidental and not caused by a systemic safety issue," he explained, before adding, "Our perception of an increasing trend is often amplified by media coverage."

The Pennsylvania crash

The most recent crash happened just south of Lancaster Airport, in the parking lot of Brethren Village. The plane went down near the Fieldcrest Building, in the Fairview Drive and Meadowview Court area of Manheim Township. Amazingly, no one on the ground was injured, and no buildings were hit, according to fire officials.

All five passengers were initially rushed to Lancaster General Hospital, and later, three were transferred to Lehigh Valley Burn Center—two by airlift and one by EMS. Two remain at Lancaster General in critical condition.

At a news conference after the crash, Manheim Township Police Chief Duane Fisher was asked if he considered the outcome a miracle.

"I don't know if I consider it a miracle, but the fact that we have a plane crash where everybody survives and nobody on the ground is hurt is a wonderful thing," Fisher responded.