As of Tuesday, February 4, two employees with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority were arrested after they allegedly leaked a video showing the deadly midair collision between an Army VH-60 “Gold Top” VIP transport helicopter and an American Airlines flight over the Potomac. The footage appeared on television.
The first suspect to be arrested was Mohamed Lamine Mbengue. A 2-year-old, Mbengue is from Rockville, Maryland. He was arrested shortly after the deadly collision and leaked footage, on January 31, over the leaked video. The charge for that video was computer trespass, a crime under Virginia law. Mbengue, originally booked into the Arlington County Adult Detention Center. was later released.
But he wasn’t the only one arrested. A few days later, on February 2, 45-year-old Jonathan Savoy, another Marylander, though from Upper Marlboro rather than Rockville, was booked on the same charge of computer trespass. He too was released after being jailed, and is out on a summons from a magistrate.
According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, both Savoy and Mbengue are accused of having made an “unauthorized copy” of the video that was disseminated to news outlets, notably CNN, and shows a fireball in the sky as the helicopter accidentally rams into the landing American Airlines flight.
On Monday, February 3, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom met with a host of Kansas lawmakers, including Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, Wichita Mayor Lily Wu, and U.S. Representative Ron Estes. The CEO and politicians visited with American Airlines employees and first responders while discussing the deadly DC crash.
After the visit, the lawmakers and CEO issued a joint statement on the horrible tragedy in which they commented on their mourning and vowed to stand by and aid those who were impacted by the deadly collision. They also noted why they met in Kansas and about aviation safety generally in the United States.
Beginning the joint statement, they said they stand with the families of those killed in the crash: “As the close-knit community of Wichita continues to mourn this tragic accident, American Airlines and representatives from all levels of government came together today to unequivocally stand with the families and friends of the passengers of Flight 5342.”
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Continuing, they thanked those who responded to the airport tragedy and said that caring for those who were impacted is their top priority. As they put it, “Caring for and supporting those impacted is our top priority. This morning, we visited with and expressed our gratitude to American team members based at Eisenhower National Airport and thanked those who came from other parts of the country to support this Wichita-based team and the passengers’ loved ones immediately following the accident.”
Concluding, they commented on working at every level of government to improve airline and aviation safety in America in the wake of this tragedy. They said, “Together, we will be unrelenting in our work at the local, state and federal levels to ensure U.S. aviation safety remains the best in the world.”
Watch the CNN footage here:
Featured image credit: Arlington Co. Sheriff’s Office