Hero pilot Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger shares chilling theory on DC plane crash that left nearly 70 dead

WASHINGTON, DC: Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger shared his theory on why the horrific plane crash involving a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines plane took place on the night of Wednesday, January 29, in Washington, reported Radar Online.

Sullenberger, 74, is the hero pilot who saved 155 passengers onboard a disabled US Airways plane back in 2009 by landing the aircraft on the Hudson River.

Captain Sully's theory on DC aircraft collision

Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger believes lack of lights while flying over water to be a chief contributing factor in American Airlines Flight 5342, with 64 people aboard, colliding with a Black Hawk chopper, carrying 3, near the Reagan Washington National Airport. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River and everyone involved is presumed dead.

In an interview with the New York Times, Sullenberger said, "There would have been fewer ground lights visible over the water than over land at night. This might have made it a little bit harder to see."

"Nighttime always makes things different about seeing other aircraft – basically all you can do is see the lights on them," he explained. "You have to try to figure out: Are they above you or below you? Or how far away? Or which direction are they headed? Everything is harder at night."

Investigation is underway to determine the true cause of the crash, and Sullenberger hopes the cockpit voice recorder, as well as the inflight data recorder and air traffic control data, would help throw light on the tragedy that unfolded.

"I'm just devastated by this. We have the obligation to learn from every failure and improve," he noted.

Later in an appearance on 'Good Morning America', Sullenberg further elaborated, "It seems apparent from the air traffic control communications that the airplanes were able to see each other, at least one was able to see the other."

"The air traffic controller was able to relieve himself of the requirement to have him separate the airplanes, and the pilots would have to separate from each other visually by identifying the other aircraft and staying a safe distance away. Obviously, at some point, separation was tragically lost," he added.

Chesley Sullenberger rebukes Donald Trump's take on accident

President Donald Trump implied that diversity, equity, and inclusion programs could be the cause of the plane crash in his first news conference after the tragedy on Thursday, reported NBC News.

“We have to have our smartest people” as air traffic controllers, Trump claimed. "It doesn’t matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. ... They have to be talented, naturally talented. Geniuses. Can’t have regular people doing their job. We can’t have regular people doing this job. They won’t be able to do it, but we’ll restore faith in American air travel.”

Spending a significant amount of time discussing the DEI initiatives of the Federal Aviation Administration under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Trump stopped short of outright blaming the programs for the collision, and answered an inquiry on that note with with, "It just could have been."

Appearing on MSNBC's 'Last Word', Sullenberger reacted to the incumbent's take in three words, "Not surprised. Disgusted.”