NEW YORK (AP) — Sean Duffy, the new transportation secretary, is facing his first major crisis just hours after his swearing-in.

Duffy was sworn into the Cabinet position just hours before an American Airlines passenger plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River

Trump acknowledged it was too soon to draw conclusions but nonetheless moved to assign blame. Trump said he had no evidence to support his claims that diversity initiatives and hiring preferences played a role in the crash.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the collision between an American Airlines passenger plane and an Army helicopter was preventable.

An American Airlines regional jet was involved in a midair collision near Washington, D.C., the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday.

Sean Duffy, who was confirmed as the secretary for the Department of Transportation on Tuesday, added a post acknowledging the crash on X. In the post, he noted that he was posting from the headquarters for the Federal Aviation Authority in Washington,

The Senate confirmed Sean Duffy as the next secretary of transportation, marking a return to public office for former Wisconsin congressman.

The Trump administration's new Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, has acknowledged the collision of a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines domestic flight mid-air, calling the accident "absolutely" preventable.

Conditions near the airport were clear when the collision occurred, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said. “This was a clear night last night. The helicopter was in a standard pattern. The American Airlines flight coming into land was in a standard flight pattern.

Some Democrats opposed Duffy’s confirmation to voice their discontent with Trump’s decision to freeze federal grants.