Trump praises pilot who landed deadly Southwest Airlines flight

President Trump on Tuesday praised the pilot who landed the deadly Southwest Airlines flight last month.

The president welcomed to the White House Tammie Jo Shults, the former Navy pilot who landed the Southwest aircraft at Philadelphia International Airport on April 17, as well as other members of the flight’s crew.

{mosads}“Tammie did an incredible job,” Trump said, according to a White House pool report.

Shults was able to execute an emergency landing after the plane lost part of its engine during a flight two weeks ago. She has been praised for her calmness on the flight recordings.

Passenger Jennifer Riordan died when a piece of the plane’s engine shattered a window and partly pulled her out of the aircraft.

“Our hearts break for the family of the passenger who tragically lost her life,” Trump said Tuesday.

“We send our prayers to Jennifer’s husband and their two beautiful children,” he added. 

Trump also thanked the passengers who helped Riordan on the flight, which took off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport and had been bound for Dallas, Texas.

“These Americans responded with tremendous bravery,” he said.

The incident caused Southwest to speed up its engine inspections, which the airline’s CEO said he expects to be completed by the end of May.

Lawmakers also expressed concern over the incident, which occurred as Congress prepared to take up a reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration. The bill, which passed the House last week, includes an amendment that would require the agency to conduct an engine safety review and deliver a report to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.