President Donald Trump says certificate revocation should be considered for the pilot of a Flexjet Challenger 350 involved in an apparent runway incursion at Midway Airport 10 days ago. During a media scrum aboard Air Force One late Sunday, Trump also praised the crew of a Southwest flight who aborted their landing to hop over the encroaching business jet. Trump said the Southwest crew “did a fantastic job” by aborting the landing just before it touched down and climbing to safety. The Flexjet pilot, not so much. “I think the license for the pilot that got in his way should maybe be revoked,” he said. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last week that pilots who ignore ATC instructions should have their certificates “pulled,” and that prompted the head of the Air Line Pilots Association, Jason Ambrosi, to bring the topic up with the secretary. Video of the scrum is below and the aviation discussion starts at 5:38.
Trump was originally asked about the crash of turboprop Bonanza in a retirement home parking lot in Pennsylvania on Sunday and his answer seemed to deflect responsibility for the recent spate of plane crashes from the FAA and its Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau, whom Trump appointed in January. “That has nothing to do with the department,” Trump said. “That was a small plane, it would have happened if you had a big department or a small department as you understand. They have spates like this. They have times when things happen a little bit more often than normal and then it goes back and then you go many years without having a problem.” Trump has not yet nominated a successor to former FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker, who resigned on Jan. 20.
