Washington DC Plane Crash: Authorities Recover 41 Bodies After Mid-air Collision

Authorities have actually recovered 41 bodies after an aircraft crash in Washington DC.

Sixty-seven individuals were killed when an American Airlines jet and job a military helicopter collided mid-air on Wednesday night. Up until now, 28 bodies have been identified.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the accident. Some 300 workers were sent to the scene, however the rescue quickly became a recovery mission as officials said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: job Follow the current updates

Federal detectives have actually recuperated the black boxes from the traveler jet, while authorities were still looking for comparable gadgets in the helicopter.

Meanwhile, job amid questions over how well the airport’s control tower was staffed on the night of the crash, job it’s been verified that an air traffic control service manager had let a controller leave their shift early.

The detail, first reported by the New york city Times, has actually been confirmed to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source familiar with the examination.

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It means a single controller was dealing with both aircraft and helicopter traffic in the area when the 2 airplane clashed.

It is permitted – but not ideal – for one controller to do both tasks, NBC News reported.

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 passengers and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying 3 soldiers, soon before 9pm regional time on Wednesday.

Flight 5342 was preparing to arrive at runway 33 at the Washington National Airport when it hit the helicopter in among the most firmly controlled airspaces worldwide.

‘Em ergency lorries sped past me’

A guy whose partner was on the flight has actually remembered how he saw emergency situation services “speeding past” as he was waiting at the airport to choose her up.

Hamaad Raza told NBC News his other half of two years, Asra, had “texted me [and] stated, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

” I was waiting and I started seeing a lot of EMS lorries speeding past me … way a lot of, [more] than regular and my texts weren’t going through.”

Trump makes unverified diversity drive claim

Donald Trump has connected a diversity drive at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under previous governments to the crash.

It has actually because been said there is no evidence to support the US president’s claim.

Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Mr Trump recommended the variety efforts had made air travel less safe.

At a White House press briefing on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an instant evaluation of FAA hiring choices made throughout the previous administration.

While Mr Trump’s claim appears to have been exposed, there are concerns over staffing at Reagan Washington National Airport.

NBC News reported staffing in the air traffic control tower was “not normal”, according to a preliminary FAA report.

The tower normally has a controller who focuses particularly on helicopter traffic – however at the time of the crash, a source stated, one controller was overseeing both plane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which manages air traffic control along with certification of workers and airplane, is without a permanent administrator. Its former manager Michael Whitaker stepped down on 20 January – the day of Mr Trump’s inauguration.

Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app Mr Trump has designated an acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, in the wake of the crash.

Mr Whitaker had actually clashed with Mr Trump’s confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket launches throughout his period at the FAA.

Since beginning as head of the administration in October 2023, he was likewise required to respond to Boeing’s security and quality issues, and worked to work with more air traffic controllers due to a lack of staff.

Read more:.
Washington DC plane crash: What we understand up until now.
Air traffic control heard diverting planes minutes after collision

At his rundown, job Mr Trump blamed previous president Joe Biden for reducing standards for air traffic controllers.

” We have to have our smartest individuals,” he said. “They need to be naturally gifted geniuses.”

Mr Trump added: “The FAA is actively recruiting employees who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring effort spelled out on the agency’s site.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities responded to these claims, stating in a declaration on X: “FAA employees with specials needs did not cause [the] awful plane crash.

” The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is very improper for the president to use this tragedy to push an anti-diversity hiring program. Doing so makes all Americans less safe.”

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Mr Trump stated after being sworn in last week, he signed an executive order which “restored the highest standards of air traffic controllers”.

At a later briefing, he was asked if gender or race played a function. He responded to: “It might have, I do not understand.