President Donald Trump gave a statement to reporters aboard Air Force One after yet another in a string of high-profile airplane crashes.
The latest incident was a single-engine airplane with five people aboard. It crashed on Sunday afternoon just south of Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township.
Trump was asked on Sunday night about the crash, and if it related to the concerns of Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy that his department, which includes air traffic controllers with the Federal Aviation Administration, would face severe cuts from Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency initiative.
“Well, that has nothing to do with the department,“ Trump said, referring to the federal Department of Transportation.
“There was a small plane and that would have happened whether he had a big department or a small department, as you understand,” Trump said. “It’s just they have spaces like this, you know, they have times when things happen a little bit more often than normal, and then it goes back, and you go many years without having a problem.”
According to the FAA prelimintary report, the crash in Manheim Township was an accident. All five passengers survived with injuries. There were no injuries on the ground.
The aircraft was registered to a limited liability corporation, according to FAA records, and was intended to travel to Springfield, Ohio, before crashing shortly after leaving the airport.