4 major plane crashes in US since Trump took over, is FAA cuts to be blamed for aviation accidents surge?

There have been 15 aviation incidents in the first six weeks of 2025, including four major plane crashes that resulted in 85 deaths.

The Trump administration had fired several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, one air traffic controller had told The Associated Press. The air traffic controller was not authorised to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

In a message posted to X, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said fewer than 400 FAA employees were fired and “Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go.”

The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union said Saturday the FAA had fired several hundred probationary FAA employees.

Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, on Monday slammed the Trump administration for firing FAA employees who inspect and maintain air traffic control communications, radio and computer systems - especially after a series of fatal crashes.

“The FAA is already short 800 technicians and these firings inject unnecessary risk into the airspace — in the aftermath of four deadly crashes in the last month," she said.

The recent Delta flight incident in Toronto, where a plane flipped on the runway, further adds to the growing concern.

The focus has shifted to the potential impact of US President Donald Trump's administration, which has fired hundreds of FAA employees, including air traffic controllers and aviation safety personnel—individuals crucial for preventing mid-air collisions.

The string of incidents began on January 29, with a catastrophic mid-air crash over Washington D.C., claiming 67 lives. On January 31, a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia. A Bering Air flight crashed in Alaska on February 6, followed by a Learjet collision with a parked jet in Scottsdale on February 10. The Delta crash, which saw a plane lose a wing upon landing in heavy wind and snow, resulted in 18 people being hospitalised, including a child, with two in critical but stable condition.

Videos show crew members guiding passengers off the plane while firefighters worked to prevent a fire outbreak.

With inputs from agencies