Joco Today

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall appeared on America’s Newsroom on Fox Business to address the recent collision between an American Airlines plane from Wichita, Kansas, and a military helicopter. The tragic accident has prompted Senator Marshall to express his condolences to the victims' families and demand accountability for the failures leading up to the incident.

In his interview, Senator Marshall questioned several aspects of air traffic control and military procedures. "Typically, there’s one person monitoring the helicopters and one person monitoring the commercial jets," he said. He highlighted concerns about why a helicopter was flying above its designated ceiling of 200 feet and why air traffic control did not detect this breach. He further criticized allowing military helicopters into busy airport runways without proper communication devices like transponders.

Senator Marshall emphasized the need for competent personnel in crucial roles such as air traffic controllers. "I think that all of us want people with the highest training and abilities to do these really tough jobs," he stated, appreciating President Trump's recent hiring of over 100 air traffic controllers to address existing issues.

Reflecting on past tragedies in Kansas, Senator Marshall acknowledged the community's resilience. "This is typically anger and denial happening right now," he noted, recalling past incidents like the 1955 tornado and the 1970 Wichita State football team crash. He mentioned his conversation with Mayor Wu about uniting Wichita during this challenging time, expressing hope that such accidents can be prevented in the future.