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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Charlie Kirk Witnessed Reagan Airport Crash Response From His Hotel Near The Potomac River
Charlie Kirk and his family were staying at a hotel near the Potomac River when a loud boom woke their son. What followed was a tragic collision between an American Airlines CRJ700 from Wichita, Kansas, and an Army Blackhawk helicopter during a training exercise. Kirk witnessed the emergency response unfold throughout the night as First Responders worked tirelessly. Air Traffic Control had warned the helicopter pilot about the approaching plane, but the collision occurred at 400 feet altitude. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, sworn in just hours before, called it a preventable tragedy. There were no survivors among the 64 passengers and crew on the plane and three soldiers in the helicopter.
Charlie Kirk and Erika Kirk were in Washington DC when their son woke up after hearing a very loud boom. They weren't sure what was happening at first. Erika soothed their son back to sleep while Charlie noticed something alarming outside their hotel window near the Potomac River.
Emergency lights began gathering on the Virginia side of the Potomac—10, 20, 30, 40 very bright lights congregating in one area. Charlie's phone started lighting up with messages asking if there was a plane crash. Twitter went ablaze with speculation. In situations like this, you pray and hope for the best.
The Kirk family happened to be up very late that night and witnessed the entire emergency response to what happened at Reagan National Airport unfold over the Potomac. Being that close to the tragedy made it even starker and more dramatic.
What Happened at Reagan National Airport
A flight from Wichita, Kansas, operating on a CRJ700 aircraft collided with an Army helicopter. It was a clear night without a cloud in the sky—perfect flying conditions. The CRJ700 seemed to intersect with the Army helicopter at the exact precise moment.
From there, the plane spiraled downward into the Potomac as it was on its final approach. The helicopter appeared to have a similar fate, though details about the helicopter's crew and what was happening in that situation remained limited initially.
First Responders worked throughout the night. Sean Duffy, who had been sworn in as Secretary of Transportation just hours before, faced a trial by fire. About five hours into the job, he was thrown into what appeared to be one of the deadliest plane crashes in a generation. Duffy has been doing a great job handling the crisis.
Personal Connection to Reagan Airport
Charlie noted that his hotel room was positioned right where they could witness the response. The Army helicopter was conducting a training exercise with three soldiers on board. The CRJ700 American Airlines flight was on approach to a shorter runway at Reagan.
This situation felt personal for Charlie and his team. Charlie has landed at Reagan probably 200 times over the last 12 years. He's been a passenger on this exact approach countless times.
Reagan Airport has very tightly controlled airspace. It features one of the shortest runways in the country. The airport is positioned very close to downtown Washington, essentially fit right there on the Potomac. Charlie made clear he would not spend time speculating because it's not helpful for anybody.
From Rescue to Recovery
The plane went down and rescue efforts were attempted all evening. Tragically, around 4 a.m. Eastern time, the operation transitioned from a rescue effort to a recovery effort.
The exact number of passengers wasn't immediately confirmed, but rough estimates showed that 60 to 65 people likely died in the plane crash—the first major U.S. plane crash since 2009. Charlie emphasized this is not political, just a tragedy.
There have been warnings for quite some time about numerous near misses at airports across the country—more than people are comfortable with. The flight carried 60 passengers and four crew members.
How the Disaster Unfolded
Understanding what happened in the last moments helps clarify the sequence of events over the Potomac. Air Traffic Control was actually trying to alert the Blackhawk helicopter pilot.
It appears the Blackhawk helicopter pilot was coming from the north going south down the Potomac. The American Airlines flight was coming from the southeast going west on their intended route to land at Reagan National.
Here's the sequence of events:
American Airlines flight 5342 makes its final approach for a night landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with 64 people on board
The U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter carrying three soldiers flies through the airspace on a training exercise
The Blackhawk helicopter receives a radio call from Air Traffic Control—ATC did their job according to current public reports
The warning states: "Do you have a CRJ in sight? Pass behind the CRJ"
This is where it gets confusing and perplexing—on a clear night, with a helicopter on a training exercise near one of the busiest airports on the planet where planes fly approaches over the Potomac, after hearing an audible warning from Air Traffic Control
At that moment, the Blackhawk helicopter could have diverted or changed altitudes—a helicopter is actually more nimble than an airplane and able to ascend vertically within seconds
It's unclear what happened after that warning or why the pilot did not recognize or internalize it
Moments later, the jet collided with the helicopter at an altitude of 400 feet while traveling at a speed of 140 miles per hour
People who understand aviation are speculating this must have been a direct collision because potentially a CRJ still could have maybe made the landing at 400 feet.
The Collision and Aftermath
Footage shows a violent fireball erupting above busy roads as the passenger jet banked hard to the right. The wreckage of both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River a few hundred meters from Ronald Reagan Airport.
Commercial airliners all come equipped with collision warning technology, making this tragedy even more difficult to understand.
Presidential Response and Analysis
President Donald Trump wrote in the early hours of the morning: "The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing. Why didn't the helicopter go up or down or turn? Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane? This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!"
Sean Duffy has confirmed based on what he has seen so far, this looks to be a preventable tragedy.
A Time for Reflection
Charlie stated he would save any commentary regarding the incident for another time. Instead, he chose to look at the situation in a reflective and personal way—acknowledging that he and many others have been on flights like this before.
Prayers go out to all the victims and their families. It's a tragic and awful situation. The hope is that clarity will emerge about everything that happened so something like this can never happen again.
