Authorities believe there were no survivors after an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter on Wednesday.

Sean Duffy, the new transportation secretary, is facing his first major crisis just hours after his swearing-in.

WASHINGTON – Central Wisconsin's Sean Duffy is facing his first big test as secretary of the Department of Transportation just one day after he was sworn into office. A commercial jet carrying 64 people collided in midair with an Army helicopter carrying three servicemembers Wednesday night near Washington,

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had been sworn in just hours before the deadly midair collision of a plane and helicopter near Washington, D.C.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the collision between an American Airlines passenger plane and an Army helicopter was preventable.

The Senate confirmed Sean Duffy as the next secretary of transportation, marking a return to public office for former Wisconsin congressman.

Trump acknowledged it was too soon to draw conclusions but nonetheless moved to assign blame. Trump said he had no evidence to support his claims that diversity initiatives and hiring preferences played a role in the crash.

Conditions near the airport were clear when the collision occurred, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. “This was a clear night last night. The helicopter was in a standard pattern. The American Airlines flight coming in to land was in a standard flight pattern.

An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.

President Trump suggested diversity programs are to blame for a deadly plane crash in the nation’s capital. Trump was joined by members of his Cabinet to give their latest update on the cause of this horrific midair collision. The president said the country was in mourning.