The beginning of 2025 has brought many changes to the United States of America. One in particular is the seeming rise of plane crashes involving a U.S. airliner. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, there have been 94 aviation accidents and incidents in 2025. There have been 14 fatal aircraft accidents this year but only five major ones that have been reported on. President Donald Trump, who was inaugurated just nine days before the first big plane crash has spoken on the incidents. He has claimed that the diversity hiring and other programs set by former President Joseph Biden, are to blame for the crashes.
January 29th – The DC Plane Crash
On the night of January 29th in the U.S. capital an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair. After the initial crash, the American Airlines jet crashed into the Potomac River. The plane was flying from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 64 passengers. On January 30th, 14 passengers were still unaccounted for and considered missing after pulling wreckage from the river. On February 4th, all 67 bodies were found and 66 were positively identified. 28 passengers on the flight were members of the U.S. figure skating team, coaches, or family members, headed back from the National Development Camp in Wichita. The rest of the passengers identified all had their own stories for why they were on that plane and since being identified their families and friends have been able to tell them. The three soldiers in the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter are also being grieved and recognized. This was the deadliest crash since 2001, for the area.
January 31st – The Philadelphia Plane Crash
On the evening of January 31st a Medical Jet leaving from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, after a pediatric patient passenger received treatment at Shriners Children’s Hospital Philadelphia, crashed into a local neighborhood. All six passengers, the patient, her mother, and the four crew members were all killed in the crash. All passengers were Mexico natives traveling for the patients treatment. The doctors on board were not connected to the hospital but to the Jet Rescue Air Ambulance company that owned the jet. One person on the ground has been reported dead due to the crash and 20 victims of injuries have been reported. Debris crowded the neighborhood for about four to six blocks and videos of the crash have been found from doorbell cameras. Many people in the neighborhood claimed they felt their houses shake and some houses even caught fire.
February 6th – The Alaska Plane Crash
On February 7th, Bering Air Flight 445 was recovered after going off the radar on a Thursday (the 6th) afternoon flight. The plane had ten passengers and was flying from the Unalakleet Airport to the Nome Airport. All ten passengers have been reported dead and have been positively identified. The plane had crashed into sea ice just 34 miles away from their destination. Due to the weather, the recognition and recovery have been difficult but all ten passengers’ bodies have been recovered from the wreckage. Coast Guard Officer Ben McIntyre-Coble said the radar analysis showed “some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation.”
February 10th – The First Arizona Plane Crash
At a private airport in Scottsdale, Arizona, a business jet collided with another plane whilst landing. The business jet was owned by Mötley Crüe lead vocalist Vince Neil, who was not present for the crash. Reports say the Learjet 35A veered off the runway when landing which led to the collision. Neil’s girlfriend and one of her friends were aboard the jet and suffered injuries. There was one casualty in the crash, the pilot. The band posted a statement on their social media about the incident. An airport spokesperson believes that the left main gear failed at landing which could have led to the crash.
February 19th – The Second Arizona Plane Crash
On the morning of February 19th, two small planes collided mid-air near the Marana Regional Airport leaving two dead. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the airport was operating without an air traffic control tower, which isn’t uncommon but worth noting in the investigation. After the collision, the Cessna 172S was able to land while the Lancair 360 MKII crashed into another runway and caught on fire. As of February 20th, the victims have not been identified. As of now, the airport is closed while the investigation continues.
February 26th – The Vermont Plane Crash
At around 3:50 a.m. Wednesday morning, a Piper PA-28 with 3 passengers crashed into Mount Equinox in Manchester, Vermont. All passengers sustained non-life threatening injuries and were recovered through “extremely difficult situations” just five hours after the crash. The plane took off from Martin State Airport in Baltimore, Maryland.
Since the crashes, President Donald Trump has begun taking action. His administration has started firing employees of the Federal Aviation Administration through late-night emails. Over 400 jobs were cut in this firing, but the workers who are claimed to provide “critical safety functions” are still employed.
Though there seems to be a rise in plane crashes in 2025 than 2024 there is not. The National Transportation Safety Board confirms in a study that between January 1 and February 21 of both years that 2024 has actually had more plane crashes.
